GMC launches formal consultation on eligibility for inclusion in the Specialist Register

Read more about the consultation here.

The GMC is consulting on a scheme for the specialist registration of persons who were consultants before 1 January 1997.

It is a legal requirement that to take up a consultant post in a medical or surgical specialty in the UK health service, a doctor must be included in the Specialist Register. Currently, any person who was a consultant before 1 January 1997 who is seeking entry to the Specialist Register must satisfy the Postgraduate Medical Education Training Board (PMETB) that their past specialist training and/or qualifications meet the present standards required for the award of a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT). The proposed scheme will allow the GMC to determine whether a pre-1997 consultant is eligible for entry to Specialist Register without the requirement for a CCT.

The consultation is now closed. We will publish the results no later than 31 March 2009.