Meeting our requirements in the first cycle
We have agreed supplementary guidance with the four health departments of the UK to help doctors understand how they can meet our requirements in the first cycle of revalidation, which will last from early December 2012 to the end of March 2018.
The guidance, which is for doctors and responsible officers, will ensure doctors are recommended for revalidation in a consistent way. It also means doctors won’t be put forward for revalidation until they’re ready, provided they are doing all they can to prepare.
The statement says that to have a recommendation made about them, doctors must as a minimum:
This is in line with the guidance that we’ve already published for all licensed doctors. However, we recognise that the information systems that exist within organisations for supporting doctors will be at different stages of maturity when revalidation begins. So our guidance also says that doctors can:
- bring team-based information to their appraisal, as long as they’ve reflected on what the information means for their individual practice
- use evidence of patient and colleague feedback obtained up to five years before a revalidation recommendation is made, as long as it's relevant to their current scope of practice
- use feedback that doesn't fully meet our criteria as long as it's focused on the doctor, their practice and the quality of care delivered to patients. The feedback must also have been gathered in a way that 'promotes objectivity'.
How doctors can use this guidance
Doctors can use this guidance to help them understand how they can meet the requirements of revalidation in the first cycle.
How employers can use this guidance
Responsible officers can use this guidance to help them assess when doctors will be ready to have recommendations made about them in the first cycle.
Download our guidance
Download our guidance How doctors can meet the GMC’s requirements for revalidation in the first cycle (PDF, 68Kb) (published 11 June 2012)