The GMC revalidation consultation generated a number of responses and is now reviewing its proposals.
The GMC is reviewing its revalidation proposals following its recent consultation. The consultation ran for a three-month period from 1 March 2010 to 4 June 2010. During this time, the GMC took part in over 130 events and met and spoke to over 4,600 doctors across the UK.
The GMC received over 940 written responses from doctors, employers, patients and the public, the highest ever level of response to a GMC consultation.
Overall, the feedback was constructive and thoughtful. A key theme running through many of the responses was the importance of ensuring that revalidation is as streamlined, simple and proportionate as possible. Many of those who responded emphasised that revalidation must contribute to the quality of care yet be cost effective.
“We are now looking at the responses in detail, but the initial impression is that while there is widespread support for many of the proposals, there remain concerns about some of the detail with a plea for further refinement and simplification.
“We are committed to reviewing our proposals in the light of the responses and feedback from some of the early pilots. We share the view of many of those who took part in our consultation that revalidation must add value for both patients and doctors and must be workable in the pressured and busy environments in which most doctors work.’
Notes to Editors
For further information please contact the Media Relations Office on 020 7189 5454, out of hours 020 7189 5444, email press@gmc-uk.org, website http://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
Merger of PMETB with GMC
The functions of the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB) transferred to the GMC on 1 April 2010, creating a simpler and clearer framework for the regulation of medical education and training. All stages of medical education and training now fall under the GMC’s remit. For more information please visit http://www.gmc-uk.org/.
Office of the Health Professions Adjudicator (OHPA)
From April 2011, the adjudication of fitness to practise cases involving doctors will transfer from the GMC to a new body called the Office of the Health Professions Adjudicator (OHPA). OHPA is being established under the Health and Social Care Act 2008. It is being created to ensure clear separation between the investigation of fitness to practise cases and the process of determining whether a professional’s fitness to practise is impaired.
To begin with, the new body will be responsible for making decisions on fitness to practise cases brought forward by the GMC and, in time, the General Optical Council. Over time, other regulators of healthcare professionals may transfer their adjudication functions to OHPA. For more information about OHPA, please visit http://www.ohpa.org.uk/
The GMC will remain the regulator for doctors, continuing to set the standards for professional practice and receiving and investigating allegations about their
