Revalidation for doctors in training
Revalidation is the General Medical Council’s (GMC) new way of regulating licensed doctors and the Secretary of State for Health has confirmed that revalidation will start on 3 December 2012. From this date, every doctor who is fully registered with a licence to practice will need to revalidate. This includes doctors in foundation year two and specialty training.
The aim is to support doctors in their professional development, helping to improve quality, patient safety and public confidence in the profession.
Licensed doctors including doctors in foundation year two and specialty training will have to revalidate every five years. In addition, for doctors in postgraduate training, you will also revalidate when you receive your Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT). This means that if your training lasts less than five years, your first revalidation will be at the point that you are awarded your CCT. If your training lasts longer than five years, you will be revalidated five years after the implementation of revalidation.
For doctors in postgraduate training who are undertaking a managed programme who are engaged in the Annual Review of Competence Progression (ARCP) process and about whom there are no concerns, revalidation will usually happen without you having to do anything additional. Trainees already maintain much of the supporting information required for revalidation in an ARCP portfolio. For example, quality improvement activity is evidenced by participation in audit and feedback from colleagues through multi-source feedback requirements in training.
Although information and reflections on significant events, complaints and compliments may be included in a trainees portfolio, it is not currently a requirement across all specialties. However to comply with revalidation regulations all trainees will need to start collecting and including this information in their portfolios.
The South West Peninsula Deanery is committed to enabling its doctors in postgraduate training to revalidate by providing as much information and support as possible and will provide you with regular updates.