Features: The way ahead: what comes next?
Revalidation will be implemented gradually
29 March 2010
Revalidation will be rolled out once local healthcare organisations are ready and local systems of appraisal and governance are in place and sufficiently robust.
The successful introduction of revalidation is a shared responsibility involving the GMC, the health departments in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, the Medical Royal Colleges, the NHS and other employers and the medical profession.
There are currently around 218,000 doctors who hold full registration and a licence to practise in the UK. Introducing a system of revalidation which will apply to each and every one will be a major challenge for all the organisations involved.
Our proposals are based on the assumption that revalidation should be implemented only when local systems are ready. It is important that where it is introduced there are the systems and structures to support doctors in providing the necessary information for revalidation. However, we know that there are organisations whose clinical governance and appraisal systems are not yet fully developed as well as others where improvement is needed. For this reason, we are proposing that revalidation should be rolled out on an incremental basis from 2011.
Next steps for doctors
For doctors, there is nothing that needs to be done immediately. Of course, you will want to consider the proposals on the supporting information you will need to bring to appraisal in the future. Many of you will already be maintaining folders of such information and participating in annual appraisal and we would encourage all doctors to continue to do this.
We would also encourage you to find out as much as you can about local plans between now and the roll-out of revalidation from 2011. We will keep you informed about progress and there will be more information from other organisations involved in making revalidation work.
We will shortly be launching an e-bulletin which will provide regular updates on the steps towards implementing revalidation – if you would like to receive it, simply email us at revalidation@gmc-uk.org. And, of course, there is the consultation itself. We would like as many doctors as possible to respond by visiting www.gmc-uk.org/thewayahead.
We have also produced a toolkit with information on the whole process to help doctors wanting to organise meetings with colleagues to share their views on revalidation and feed this back to the GMC. You can download the toolkit from www.gmc-uk.org/thewayahead.
Next steps for employers
For employers, the time has come to bring revalidation preparation to the top of the agenda. As a matter of priority, healthcare organisations need to examine their current procedures and how they can be adapted.
The GMC will decide when and where the first doctors will go through the revalidation process once the various parts of the system have been tested and embedded in local organisations.
We will also need assurance that these organisations are ready to support revalidation.
Piloting and early adopters
Over the last few years, we have been testing how revalidation will work in practice. Pilots are currently underway across the UK involving thousands of doctors working in different specialties and sectors. In England, for example, the NHS Revalidation Support Team (RST) is coordinating a series of multi-organisational pilots during 2010. These will include more than 3,000 doctors in a variety of specialties and settings. These ‘pathfinder’ pilots will test key components of revalidation, including:
- the enhanced annual appraisal
- the specialty standards and supporting information
- the quality of information available to support a revalidation recommendation
- the role of the Responsible Officer.
Similar pilots are planned in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland through 2010 and 2011. Feedback, analysis and external evaluation of the pilots will begin later this year.
The GMC’s UK Revalidation Programme Board – which oversees the practical delivery of medical revalidation across the four parts of the UK - will oversee the various pilots across the UK.
Following the consultation and the current pilots, the plan is for a number of organisations to be designated as 'early adopters' who have been through a piloting process and have been assessed as ready to deliver revalidation for their doctors.
Get involved
In the meantime, we very much hope that both doctors and employers will take part in the consultation itself at www.gmc-uk.org/thewayahead or by emailing thewayahead@gmc-uk.org.