Welcome to the NHS Revalidation Support Team (RST)

ORSA 2011 -12

The Organisational Readiness Self-Assessment Report 2011-12 shows the state of organisational readiness for medical revalidation in England at 31 March 2012.

The report is based on responses from organisations that employ or contract with doctors (designated bodies) as defined in the Responsible Officers Regulations 2010.

This was the second time annual self-assessment, using a tool known as ORSA (Organisational Readiness Self-Assessment) designed to help designated bodies determine their readiness for revalidation. The ORSA exercise 2011-12 was completed by responsible officers in April and May 2012 and submitted via an electronic reporting process.

In 2011-12, 654 designated bodies completed the ORSA, providing a 95% response rate overall, with a 100% response from NHS organisations.

The report shows that substantial progress had been made over the last year, with improvements in all measured key indicators. Some of the key findings of the report are:

• 92% of doctors are linked to organisations that are either ready or almost ready to support them with revalidation. 
• Almost 100% of doctors covered by this exercise now have a responsible officer and almost 98% of doctors have a responsible officer who has received appropriate training. 
• 85% of doctors are now covered by designated bodies with an appraisal policy which is compliant with the requirements of revalidation. 
• 86% of doctors are now covered by designated bodies with sufficient numbers of trained medical appraisers. 
• The overall appraisal rate has risen to 73%, with significant increases reported for each type of doctor. 
• 97% of doctors are covered by designated bodies with a process for investigation of capability, conduct, health and fitness to practise concerns.
• 58% of doctors are covered by designated bodies with a policy for re-skilling, rehabilitation, remediation and targeted support which is compliant with the responsible officer regulations.

Designated bodies were sent personalised reports, comparing their organisation’s readiness with national averages. Every designated body was asked to produce an action plan by the end of July 2012 to ensure their systems would be ready by December 2012.

If you need support in producing or implementing your action plan, please contact your SHA revalidation project manager

Download report 
Download press release 
ORSA report FAQs