Fact Sheet: Newly Qualified GPs, Appraisal and Revalidation.
Revalidation and appraisal are both formative and summative. The purpose is to assure patients that Doctors are up to date and fit to practise. The General Medical Council (GMC) has made it mandatory for doctors with a licence to practice in UK to engage with appraisal and revalidation.
Appraisal is an annual event, and revalidation is based on a five yearly cycle. Both are considered to be ongoing processes whereby the doctor is expected maintain evidence of engagement in clinical work in the context of UK Primary Care, review care, reflect on care andtake part in professional development.The required information is outlined by the GMC and guidance is available on the GMC website. Such information needs to be relevant to the context of Primary Care in the UK.
What do I need to do as a newly qualified GP?
Your CCT certifies that you have completed training. The Appraisal and revalidation process start from the date of your CCT. Upon completion of your training you must vary your inclusion on the Performers List to remove the restrictions imposed on speciality trainees.Failure to do this could lead to your name being removed from the Medical Performers List. Please email to ask for the change (= inform them of your new status as a qualified GP).
What about revalidation?
Only UK organisations can be designated bodies. You will need to have a new designated body as soon as your qualify, as the Deanery will no longer be your designated body.
You need to use the online tool. Log on to GMC Online through the GMC website to update the information that the GMC hold about you. Your designated body, if you are staying locally, will by Thames Valley. This means that your Responsible Officer for revalidation will be Dr Geoff Payne. The GMC set your revalidation date. This is not a negotiated process (unless there are performance issues, in which case NHS England can bring the date forward). Revalidation requires the satisfactory completion of, or a formal exemption from, appraisal in each appraisal year (01 April to 31 March).
What about Appraisal?
The appraisal process requires you to have an annual appraisal which is based upon your provision of supporting information that will assure the public that you are up to date and fit to practise.
On completion of your training you will be allocated an Appraiser and an appraisal month. This will be between 9 and 15 months of receipt of your CCT. You will be required to complete an NHS appraisal within 84 days of the first day of that allocated month. If you have not completed a successful appraisal within that time frame you will be considered for removal from the Medical Performers List (MPL). This will mean that you will not be able to practise as a GP.
To complete a successful appraisal you will need to provide the required amount and standard of information to your appraiser in an agreed toolkit or using the MAG form. You should consider your professional duties set out in Good Medical Practice, including keeping your knowledge and skills up
to date. You should review GMC guidance on “supporting information”,and consider the information that you can collect to show that you are keeping up to date and fit to practise. This information will need to have been gathered since qualifying and derived clearly from your work in providing primary care services in Thames Valley.
It may be of interest to newly qualified GPs to note that most referrals for investigation by GMC are about GPs in their first year of practise or GPs in their final practise years. Your first year is therefore a crucial one for both patient safety and for your own professional development. When considering the requirements for remaining on the MPL (and so being able to work as a GP) we look at patient safety and professional responsibility.
Regardless of your working arrangements the requirement for appraisal and revalidation and the minimum standards of evidence remain the same - unless you have an exemption from a period of appraisal that has been agreed by NHS England (e.g. for maternity leave, long term illness, etc.).
What if I am going abroad after my CCT?
If you are intending to work abroad after qualifying, you will need to request exemption from the appraisal process. This exemption can be approved for up to twelve months. We will hold your place on the MPL for this time. We will expect you to inform us of your return date and let us know your plans for working in Thames Valley.
Following your exemption year you will be allocated an appraisal month and appraiser for 2015-2016. The allocated month will be dependent on the information that you share with us. If you do not share your plans or share the pertinent information with us we will allocate a month to you.
If you are unable to complete your appraisal 84 days after the first day of that month you will be considered for removal from the MPL and not be able to practise as a GP.If you are intending to be away for more than twelve months you will need to have a conversation with your Appraiser to discuss your plans; you may wish to remove yourself from the MPL. Voluntary withdrawal from MPL means that you will not have to declare in your future career that you have been removed from the List by an Area Team. It is relatively easy to reapply for inclusion when you return to UK practise.
Resources
MAG form
NHS England website for revalidation
GMC
RCGP
Medical Appraisal Policy
Local Contacts
NHS England Thames Valley Area Team
Author: Dr Marion Lynch Assistant Director Revalidation NHS England and Associate Dean. July 2014.