Regulating doctors, ensuring good medical practice

Doctors asked to 'make your connection' in advance of revalidation

Press Release

19 Apr 2012

With nine months to go until the first doctor is expected to revalidate, momentum is steadily building across the UK and all doctors are being contacted as part of the General Medical Council’s (GMC) make your connection campaign.

The make your connection campaign marks the start of an important next phase as we prepare to deliver revalidation.

Niall Dickson, the Chief Executive of the GMC

The campaign will run from 18 April until the end of the year and asks doctors to confirm the organisation that will help them to revalidate.

The GMC already has the information it needs for more than 120,000 doctors. They will be asked to confirm their connection later in the year. Doctors in training will provide the information needed as part of the National Trainee Survey.

However, there are doctors the GMC still needs information for, including the organisation they will be connected to, and in the first part of the campaign the GMC will be contacting those doctors.

They will receive an information pack and extensive online support to help them work out which organisation will revalidate them. This will include case studies and a decision making tool. Doctors do not need to do anything until they are contacted by the GMC.

All doctors will be contacted over the next few months and we aim to confirm the organisation that will revalidate every doctor by the end of the year.

Niall Dickson, the Chief Executive of General Medical Council said:

‘Patients expect this to be happening already – providing this assurance is a vital part of a quality healthcare system and we need to get on with it. With around nine months to go until we expect the first doctor to be revalidated, momentum is building across the country and organisations are making real progress.

‘The make your connection campaign marks the start of an important next phase as we prepare to deliver revalidation.

‘For most doctors, the organisation in which they spend most or all of their practice is most likely to be the organisation that will provide them with their regular appraisal and will therefore help them to revalidate.’

Doctors will need to visit GMC Online (www.gmc-uk.org/gmconline) to confirm their designated body. If they do not already have an account they will need to set one up – this is explained in the information they will be sent. However, they do not need to do anything until they receive their information pack through the post.

For more information, go to www.gmc-uk.org/mydb.

Read the briefing note about the 'Make your connection' campaign.

Notes to Editors:

1. Doctors need to ensure their designated body is confirmed so the GMC knows which organisation will be submitting their recommendation.

2. There are currently 719 designated bodies across the UK. They include NHS bodies, independent sector providers, the Independent Doctors’ Federation, three faculties, postgraduate deaneries, the armed forces and 51 locums agencies.

3. Every designated body has a responsible officer who will make a recommendation to the GMC, usually every five years, that each doctor is up to date, fit to practise and should be revalidated.

For further information please contact the Media Relations Office on 020 7189 5454, out of hours 020 7189 5444/ 07920 461497, email press@gmc-uk.org, website www.gmc-uk.org.

The General Medical Council registers and licenses doctors to practise medicine in the UK. Our purpose is summed up in the phrase: Regulating doctors, Ensuring Good Medical Practice.

The law gives us four main functions:

  • keeping up-to-date registers of qualified doctors
  • fostering good medical practice
  • promoting high standards of medical education and training
  • dealing firmly and fairly with doctors whose fitness to practise is in doubt