Ready for revalidation make your connection. Information for licensed doctors

Transcription

1 2012 Ready for revalidation make your connection Information for licensed doctors 1

2 Introduction We need you to confirm the organisation that will provide your regular appraisal and help you with revalidation. This leaflet explains how you should do this. We need this information before revalidation begins at the end of This is because we want to know which organisation will make revalidation recommendations about you. You can confirm your organisation by using GMC Online, a secure area of our website. Revalidation is the process by which you, as a licensed doctor, will have to demonstrate to the GMC that you are up to date and fit to practise. Revalidation should help to make sure you are supported in your professional development. It should also give you the opportunity to reflect on your practice and, in doing so, improve the quality of care you give to your patients. 2

3 Ready for revalidation make your connection Why is this important? You need to tell us the organisation that will provide you with your regular appraisal and help you with revalidation. This organisation is your designated body. Your connection to it will make sure you are supported with the process of revalidation. It will also help to ensure that you are always working in an environment that monitors and improves the quality of its services, regardless of how or where you practise in the UK. A doctor within this organisation called a responsible officer will make a recommendation to us, usually every five years, that you are up to date, fit to practise and should be revalidated. The responsible officer is likely to be the medical director of that organisation or their deputy. They have a duty to ensure you have a regular appraisal based on our core guidance for doctors, Good Medical Practice. But it s your responsibility to take part in appraisal and collect supporting information. You will need to tell us if your designated body changes in the future. This might happen if you change jobs and move to another organisation. You are only connected to one designated body at any time, even if you are employed by, contract with, or work through a number of organisations. 3

4 Which organisation am I connected to? There is a clear set of rules that determines which designated body you are connected to for revalidation. For most doctors, the connection is very straightforward because it is the organisation in which they spend most or all of their practice. Where possible, we have tried to work out doctors connections already, using data provided by the NHS. Most doctors will just need to visit GMC Online to confirm that the information we have for them is correct. As we have not been able to do this for everyone, some doctors will need to work out their connections themselves.

5 Ready for revalidation make your connection The organisation you are connected to will depend on: the basis on which you are employed, such as whether you have a contract of employment or practising privileges or another type of contract. You should speak to your employer, if you have one, if you are unsure about your employment status where you spend the majority of your practice. You can use a tool on our website to find the organisation you are connected to. Please visit If you work in or at more than one organisation, you may find it helpful before you go on the website to: make a list of all the organisations that you are employed by, have a contract with (such as practising privileges), or work through (such as a locum agency) consider where (and in which organisation) you spend the majority of your practice. When you have worked out your connection, please go to GMC Online to confirm it. If you don t have a GMC Online account, you can set one up at 5

6 How do I confirm my organisation? Step 1 Log on to GMC Online You can access your GMC Online account through our website ( If you don t have a GMC Online account, please go to for more information about setting one up. Step 2 Click on Confirm your designated body The home page of your GMC Online account will display a message asking you to Confirm your designated body. Please click on this button. This will take you to a page that has your revalidation details. You can also find your revalidation details from the home page of your account by using the My revalidation tab. Step 3 Confirm your designated body You will now see a summary of your revalidation details. If we believe we know the name of your designated body, it will be displayed here. If we don t, the fields will be marked Not known.

7 Ready for revalidation make your connection If no organisation is displayed for you Please click on the Add designated body button. You will then be asked to look up and pick your designated body from our database. When you have confirmed your organisation, you will see a confirmation message and receive an . You will need to tell us if your designated body changes in the future. If an organisation is displayed for you Please confirm this organisation by using the Confirm designated body button. If you would like to change your organisation because you believe it is incorrect, click on the Change designated body button. You will then be asked to look up and pick your new designated body from our database. When you have confirmed your organisation, you will see a confirmation message and receive an . You will need to tell us if your designated body changes in the future. Please read the next page if you need help making your connection or finding your designated body. 7

8 Where can I get help? If you need help working out your connection, please use our help tool for doctors or read the information on our website at If you can t confirm your organisation because you cannot find your organisation in our GMC Online database of designated bodies, please call us on If you have used our help tool for doctors and you believe you do not have a designated body, please: log on to GMC Online through our website click on the My revalidation tab on the left hand side of your home page select the I don t have a designated body button. We will ask you for some information about your role. This will help us provide you with more advice. 8

9 Ready for revalidation make your connection What else should I be doing As a licensed doctor, make sure you do the following. Have a regular appraisal. You won t be able to revalidate without one. The organisation that you connect to should provide you with an appraisal. Read the guidance in our Good Medical Practice Framework. This should form the basis of your appraisal and is based on the values and principles in our core guidance for doctors, Good Medical Practice. Collect your supporting information for appraisal. Our guidance - Supporting information for appraisal and revalidation - sets out the information you need to collect. You are responsible for taking reasonable steps to collect this information. Your organisation should be able to help you by giving you access to relevant information (such as complaints and compliments). The medical royal colleges and faculties can also give you advice on how you can meet our requirements. Tell us if your designated body changes in the future. If you change your employer, your designated body may change too. You will need to tell us if it does, by using GMC Online. Later this year, we will begin informing doctors of when we expect to receive recommendations about them from their responsible officers - but all doctors should be getting ready now. You can find guidance and helpful tools to support you in getting ready for revalidation on our website at www. gmc-uk.org/revalidation. 9

10 Checklist Find the organisation that will provide you with a regular appraisal and help you with revalidation. We have tools and case studies on our website that can help you work this out at Log on to GMC Online. If you don t have a GMC Online account, please visit for more information about setting one up. Confirm your connection. Click on My revalidation in GMC Online to review your revalidation details.

11 Need help? Either use the guidance and helpful tools available on or call us on

12 General Medical Council Telephone: Website: This information can be made available in alternative formats or languages. To request an alternative format, please call us on or us at Published March General Medical Council The GMC is a charity registered in England and Wales ( ) and Scotland (SC037750) Code: GMC/RFR/MYC/IFLD