Revalidation resources
You'll find the resources you need to help carry out your responsibilities in relation to revalidation here.
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Our guides to revalidation for doctors at different points in their careers
Revalidation and the licence to practise: withdrawing, giving up or restoring your licence and licensing appeals
Why we might withdraw your licence, how you give up or restore your licence, and how to appeal a revalidation decision.
Revalidation tips for doctors new to UK practice
See our overview of revalidation and revalidation connections for doctors leaving UK training or new to UK practice.
Revalidation tips for doctors working in multiple settings
See our guide to connections, whole practice appraisals and sharing information about medical practice for doctors working in multiple settings.
Revalidation and breaks in practice
What to do if you're planning or have had a break in practice (whether planned or unplanned).
Revalidation and the later stages of your career
See our guide to revalidating and maintaining your licence in the later stages of your career.
Revalidation and fitness to practise
Understand how to revalidate if you are involved in proceedings about your fitness to practise.
Collecting colleague and patient feedback for revalidation
How to use questionnaires to gather colleague and patient feedback for revalidation.
Guidance for decision makers
Understand how we make decisions relating to revalidation.
Our case studies for doctors with patients who can’t give feedback or who have limited patient contact.
Feedback from your patients can give you valuable insight into your performance. If you're a doctor and aren't sure how to collect patient feedback, please speak to your appraiser, responsible officer, suitable person or employer.
If your practice means that you don’t have patients and there are no alternatives, then you should discuss this with your responsible officer or suitable person and agree whether you need to meet this requirement.
How can I collect feedback when my patients are too unwell to respond?
Dr Levy works in a hospice. Patients often don’t have capacity to give feedback and asking their families can be inappropriate.
How can I meet appraisal requirements if I don't have patient contact?
Dr Holditch is a microbiologist and Dr Smith a histopathologist. They work in laboratories and provide medical advice to others.
How can I get enough patient feedback when I work in short term posts?
Dr Timms is a locum doctor who holds short term appointments.
Can I collect feedback from clients instead of patients?
Dr Patel is a medico-legal doctor who prepares legal reports. She doesn’t see patients but has clients.
How can I collect feedback when my patients are too young to respond?
Dr Jez is an associate specialist in neonatology. Her patients are infants in a special care baby unit.
How can I collect patient feedback when I work in a managerial role and don’t see patients?
Dr Jackson is a Director of Public Health. She does not have contact with individual patients.
When is the best time to ask my patients for feedback?
Dr Chaudry is an anaesthetist. He sees patients briefly, often when it’s not appropriate to ask them for feedback.
How can I collect patient feedback when I don’t work for any one service on a regular basis?
Dr Wilson works as a locum GP across a range of different surgeries. Her work includes out of hours and a prison setting.
I see patients briefly in challenging circumstances. How can I collect feedback?
Dr O’Neill provides second opinions for patients detained under the Mental Health Act.
Making revalidation recommendations is a core function of responsible officers and suitable persons.
These case studies explore a range of issues that might influence the recommendations you make for your connected doctors.
Making recommendations: colleague feedback
How to use feedback to inform your recommendations. How much feedback you need and whether you should compare the amount of feedback gathered by different doctors.
Making recommendations: deferrals
Understand the relationship between breaks in practice and recommendations to defer. See the discretion you have to make deferral recommendations and the support we can give to help you make your decision.
Making recommendations: non-engagement
Understand which recommendation to make when a doctor has not engaged with revalidation processes.
Making recommendations: barriers to engagement
Explore reasons why doctors might not engage with revalidation. Understand that you must provide access to appropriate systems and processes to support revalidation.
Making recommendations: deferrals where the Dr has raised concerns
Things to consider when making a deferral where the Doctor has raised public interest concerns.
Making recommendations: non-engagement where the Dr has raised concerns
Understand which recommendation to make when a doctor has not engaged with revalidation processes after raising public interest concerns.
Making recommendations: appraisal activity and sufficient supporting information
This scenario looks at appraisal activity and considering whether there is sufficient supporting information to revalidate.
Making recommendations: interruption to practice and considering local versus GMC requirements
This scenario looks at considering breaks in practice when making a recommendation.
Resources to help you involve patients in revalidation.
Although we do not recommend any particular approach, our resources may help you to think about ways that lay member participation can make sure that revalidation systems and outcomes reflect patient interests. Resources include a simplified explanation of revalidation and case studies showing how organisations have involved patients.
Quality assurance from a lay perspective: Milton Keynes University Hospital Revalidation Committee
See the role of lay members in Milton Keynes Hospital’s Revalidation Committee.
Designing revalidation processes using lay expertise: Nottingham University Hospitals MARAG
See the role of lay members in Nottingham University Hospitals’ Medical Appraisal and Revalidation Advisory Group.
Our support services who can help you in revalidation.
Health system liaison services
Our offices in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and our Regional Liaison Service in England work with different partners across the UK to promote our standards and improve collaboration and mutual understanding.
Employer Liaison Service
Our Employer Liaison Service works with responsible officers, medical directors and medical managers to protect patients and support doctors to meet our standards.
