Questions on this page
- 1. I work in private practice, and do no work within the NHS. How do I revalidate?
- 2. I do not treat patients. Do I need to revalidate?
- 3. If I change my specialty or field of practice mid-way through a revalidation cycle, will this affect my ability to revalidate?
- 4. I work across different specialties. How will revalidation work for me?
- 5. I have retired from medical practice. If I continue to maintain my Continuing Professional Development (CPD) but have no active medical practice, will that be sufficient for revalidation?
- 6. I am registered with the GMC and I have a licence to practise but I practise entirely outside the UK. How will I revalidate?
- 7. I work for periods of time outside the UK doing volunteer work. How will this affect my ability to revalidate?
- 8. I work in solely a non-clinical role. How do I revalidate?
- 9. I am a locum doctor and work in a number of different settings. How do I revalidate?
- 10. If I take a short career break (for example maternity leave), how will this affect my ability to revalidate?
1. I work in private practice, and do no work within the NHS. How do I revalidate?
You will revalidate in the same way as doctors working within the NHS.
You will have to participate in annual appraisal in the workplace and will need to maintain a folder or portfolio of supporting information to bring to your appraisals as a basis for discussion. You will also need to link to a Responsible Officer.
For further information on linking to a Responsible Officer, please find guidance on Responsible Officers on the Department of Health (England) website and the Department of Health, Social Security and Public Safety (Northern Ireland) website, both of which include a flow diagram of who you should be linking to for your Responsible Officer.
2. I do not treat patients. Do I need to revalidate?
All doctors that hold a licence to practise will be required to revalidate. This is irrespective of the nature of your work.
If you choose to hold a licence to practise, you will be required to revalidate in order to maintain your licence. This will require you to take part in annual appraisals, and collect and discuss supporting information from your work, such as CPD and feedback from your colleagues. You will also need to link to a Responsible Officer, and at the end of every revalidation cycle a recommendation will be made to the GMC by your Responsible Officer.
For further information on linking to a Responsible Officer, please find guidance on Responsible Officers on the Department of Health (England) website and the Department of Health, Social Security and Public Safety (Northern Ireland) website, both of which include a flow diagram of who you should be linking to for your Responsible Officer.
It may be that you are not required to hold a licence to practise to undertake the work that you do. If this is the case, you can maintain your registration with the GMC without a licence to practise, which will indicate that you are in good standing with the GMC and allow you to regain a licence to practise should you require one at some future point. If you are registered with the GMC but do not hold a license to practise, you are not required to revalidate.
Information on applying to reinstate your licence to practise can be found on our applying for a licence page. You may also wish to see our page on frequently asked questions about licensing
3. If I change my specialty or field of practice mid-way through a revalidation cycle, will this affect my ability to revalidate?
No, your licence to practise is generic. It will not restrict you to working in a particular specialty or field of practice and you will not revalidate in a specific field. You will, however, be bound by the professional obligation in Good Medical Practice to recognise and work within the limits of your competence. If you have been out of a specific field of practice for a significant period it is your responsibility to consider what additional support you may need to help you to re-enter that field of practice safely. The supporting information you bring to your appraisal should reflect the field of practice you work in, and you should discuss with your appraiser what is appropriate.
4. I work across different specialties. How will revalidation work for me?
Revalidation will work for you the same as any other doctor. Your licence to practise is generic and does not restrict you to working in a particular specialty or field of practice and you will not revalidate in a specific field. You will, however, be bound by the professional obligation in Good Medical Practice to recognise and work within the limits of your competence.
If you work across different roles and specialties you will still ideally, where possible, have one appraisal, which covers all your roles as a doctor. This is known as a ‘whole practice appraisal’. The types of supporting information doctors collect for revalidation does not vary according to their specialty or types of practice. The supporting information you bring to your appraisal should reflect the full extent of your work as a doctor and so if you work across different roles and specialties you should collect information to represent all aspects of your work.
5. I have retired from medical practice. If I continue to maintain my Continuing Professional Development (CPD) but have no active medical practice, will that be sufficient for revalidation?
No. If you choose to hold a licence to practise, you will be required to revalidate in the same way as every other doctor in order to maintain your licence. This will require you to take part in annual appraisals, and collect and discuss all of the types of supporting information to demonstrate that you remain up to date and fit to practise. You will also need to link to a Responsible Officer, and at the end of every revalidation cycle a recommendation will be made to the GMC by your Responsible Officer.
If you are retired from practice it may be that you would wish to relinquish your licence to practise but maintain your registration as a member of the GMC. This will show that you remain in good standing with the GMC, and you can apply to reinstate your licence at any time.
Information on applying to reinstate your licence to practise can be found on our applying for a licence page. You may also wish to see our page on frequently asked questions about licensing.
6. I am registered with the GMC and I have a licence to practise but I practise entirely outside the UK. How will I revalidate?
If you practise entirely outside the UK, it is likely that you are not required to hold a UK licence to practise. You can maintain your registration with the GMC without a licence to practise, which will indicate that you are in good standing with us, the UK regulator, and allow you to regain a licence to practise quickly should you require one at some future point. If you do not hold a licence to practise, you do not have to revalidate.
Information on applying to reinstate your licence to practise can be found on our applying for a licence page. You may also wish to see our page on frequently asked questions about licensing.
If you continue to hold a licence to practise, you will have to revalidate in the same way as doctors practising in the UK - by participating in annual appraisal in the workplace and maintaining a folder or portfolio of supporting information to bring to your appraisals as a basis for discussion. You will also need to link to a Responsible Officer, because at the end of every revalidation cycle a recommendation about your revalidation will be made to the GMC by your Responsible Officer.
You will need to link to a Responsible Officer in the UK as the legislation regarding Responsible Officers only applies in the UK. If your employer or contractor is based within the UK it may be that they will be able to provide you with a link to a Responsible Officer. Once you have linked with your Responsible Officer they will be able to advise you on which supporting information and appraisal procedures are appropriate.
For further information on linking to a Responsible Officer, please find guidance on Responsible Officers on the Department of Health (England) website and the Department of Health, Social Security and Public Safety (Northern Ireland) website, both of which include a flow diagram of who you should be linking to for your Responsible Officer.
7. I work for periods of time outside the UK doing volunteer work. How will this affect my ability to revalidate?
If you work for periods of time outside the UK, this will not affect your ability to revalidate. It should be possible for you to collect the supporting information, participate in appraisals and also to link to a Responsible Officer through your practise in the UK.
You may wish to bring to appraisal additional supporting information to demonstrate your practise abroad and this is something you can discuss with your appraiser or Responsible Officer.
8. I work in solely a non-clinical role. How do I revalidate?
You will revalidate in the same way as doctors in clinical roles.
You will have to participate in annual appraisal in the workplace and maintain a folder or portfolio of supporting information to bring to your appraisals as a basis for discussion.
Revalidation is based on what you actually do on a day-to-day basis. Therefore you will revalidate on the basis of your non-clinical work, and the nature of the supporting information you bring to appraisal will reflect your non-clinical role.
You will also need to link to a Responsible Officer. For further information on linking to a Responsible Officer, please find guidance on Responsible Officers on the Department of Health (England) website and the Department of Health, Social Security and Public Safety (Northern Ireland) website, both of which include a flow diagram of who you should be linking to for your Responsible Officer.
It may be that you are not required to hold a licence to practise to undertake the work that you do. If this is the case, you can maintain your registration with the GMC without a licence to practise, which will indicate that you are in good standing with the UK regulator and allow you to regain a licence to practise quickly should you require one at some future point. If you are registered with the GMC but do not hold a licence to practice, you are not required to revalidate.
Information on applying to reinstate your licence to practise can be found on our applying for a licence page. You may also wish to see our page on frequently asked questions about licensing.
9. I am a locum doctor and work in a number of different settings. How do I revalidate?
You will have to participate in annual appraisal in the workplace and maintain a folder or portfolio of supporting information to bring to your appraisals as a basis for discussion.
Your revalidation will be based on the whole of your practice so, if you work within a number of organisations, you will need to bring supporting information to your appraisal to cover all areas of your practice.
You will also need to link to a Responsible Officer. If you work for, or contract with, an NHS organisation you will link with a Responsible Officer through this organisation and will need to liaise with them to organise your annual appraisal. A number of locum agencies are required by law to provide Responsible Officer and appraisal facilities.
For further information on linking to a Responsible Officer, please find guidance on Responsible Officers on the Department of Health (England) website and the Department of Health, Social Security and Public Safety (Northern Ireland) website, both of which include a flow diagram of who you should be linking to for your Responsible Officer.
10. If I take a short career break (for example maternity leave), how will this affect my ability to revalidate?
Your ability to revalidate should not be affected if you take a short career break within a five year revalidation cycle. You will be expected to revalidate at the usual point in your five year cycle on the basis of the supporting information you have collected and appraisals that you have attended within this time period.
It should be possible for you to collect sufficient supporting information for a Responsible Officer to make a recommendation to the GMC. If you have been unable to discuss sufficient supporting information at your appraisal, your Responsible Officer may recommend a deferment of your revalidation to the GMC, in order to allow you to collect additional information.