Welcome to the NHS Revalidation Support Team (RST)

Revalidation is the process by which doctors demonstrate to the GMC that they are up to date and complying with the relevant professional standards. 

The purpose of revalidation is to assure patients and the public, employers and other healthcare professionals that licensed doctors are up-to-date and practising to the appropriate professional standards.

Revalidation is a new way of regulating the medical profession that will provide a focus for doctors’ efforts to maintain and improve their practise; facilitate the organisations in which doctors’ work to support them in keeping their practise up to date; and encourage patients and the public to provide feedback about the medical care they receive from doctors. In these ways, revalidation will contribute to the ongoing improvement in the quality of medical care delivered to patients throughout the UK.

Revalidation is not about responding to the case of Harold Shipman. Instead, it is one of several mechanisms intended to contribute to improvements in the quality of care by giving focus to doctors’ efforts to keep up to date and improve their practise.

Revalidation is based on a local evaluation of doctors' performance through appraisal. Doctors are expected to participate in annual appraisal and to maintain a portfolio of supporting information to bring to their appraisals as a basis for discussion.

There is a core minimum set of supporting information that doctors are expected to provide at appraisal over each revalidation cycle. However, doctors can also take any other additional information to demonstrate their practice at appraisal.  The information from the appraisal is given to the responsible officer who then makes a recommendation to the GMC, normally every five years.  

There are six types of supporting information that doctors will be expected to provide and discuss at their appraisal at least once in each five year cycle. They are:

1. Continuing professional development (CPD)

2. Quality improvement activity

3. Significant events

4. Feedback from colleagues

5. Feedback from patients

6. Review of complaints and compliments

For further information on supporting information, please see the GMC website

The role of responsible officer is designated in legislation. Each doctor is linked to a responsible officer, who will make a recommendation to the GMC, usually every five years, about whether that doctor should be revalidated. The responsible officer is also responsible for ensuring that systems of clinical governance and appraisal in his or her organisation are ready and appropriate for revalidation.

The role of responsible officer must be carried out by a senior licensed doctor with more than five years practise. This may in some cases mean that the role is an extension of the current role of the medical director. All organisations designated in the responsible officer legislation are required to appoint a responsible officer.

For further information, please read the The Medical Profession (Responsible Officer) Regulations 2010 and The Medical Profession (Responsible Officers) (Amendment) Regulations 2013

Employers need to ensure that all licensed doctors working within their organisations are having an annual appraisal. Responsibility for the provision of appraisals and systems of clinical governance necessary for revalidation lies with the responsible officer. Organisations must ensure that the responsible officer has adequate resources and support to carry out their role and ensure the readiness of these systems for the commencement of revalidation.

Revalidation started on 3 December 2012. The GMC expects to revalidate the majority of licensed doctors in the UK for the first time by March 2016.

Regional revalidation teams should be your first point of contact for any queries about revalidation. They support all designated bodies within their region, including NHS organisations, the independent sector, hospices and charities.

Alternatively you can contact the RST here