Why Regular Medical Practice Appraisals are Crucial for Compliance and Risk Management

  This Blog explains the meaning and importance of reflection in a doctor’s appraisal From: RCGP-Revalidation-Mythbusters-2016.pdf Reflection is a professional habit that all doctors should have. No-one would want to be treated by doctors who never considered how effective their care was or whether it could be any better. We all reflect on what we do. Reflection – thinking critically about what we do, why and how and where and when we do it, and whether it could have been done differently – is something doctors do all the time. It is part of our professional training. Like any habit, for some doctors, reflection can be such a subconscious activity that it can be hard to bring it to conscious awareness in order to capture it or write it down – for appraisal or any other reason. The difficulty for many doctors is in recording their reflection in a way that feels as natural as the act of reflection itself. Many doctors find that their appraiser facilitates their reflection through ac...

    This Blog explains how doctors without a Responsible Officer can still revalidate and hold a license to practice. From: http://www.gmc-uk.org/Revalidation___FAQs_for_retired_doctors ___DC5683.pdf_56109819.pdf If you don’t have a responsible officer but want to keep your licence to practise, you may be able to identify a suitable person to support your appraisal and recommend whether you can revalidate. The role of an approved suitable person is substantially the same as that of a responsible officer. In brief, that person must:■  hold a licence to practise and have been registered with us continuously for at least five years■  have a connection to a responsible officer or an approved suitable person, for their own revalidation■  be a responsible officer or hold a post similar to that of a responsible officer, in an organisation operating and located in the UK or the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man■  have a logical link to your current medical practi...

  This Blog explains how doctors can revalidate and how the revalidation process works for licensed doctors. From: http://www.gmc-uk.org/doctors/revalidation/9612.asp & http://www.gmc uk.org/Revalidation___FAQs_for_retired_doctors.pdf There are three possible ways, depending on your specific circumstances. ■  If you have a legally prescribed connection to a designated body, your revalidation will be based on a recommendation to us from your responsible officer. ■ Most doctors have a connection to a designated body which helps them with their annual appraisal (this could be your employer, faculty or another organisation). Designated bodies are responsible for nominating or appointing a responsible officer. ■ If you are unsure of your prescribed connection, you can use our designated body tool to check. Go to www.gmc-uk.org/dbtool. ■ Your responsible officer is usually the medical director of your designated body. Their revalidation recommendation to the GMC is based on y...

    This Blog explains the relationship between medical revalidation and specialist registration or GMC registration. From: http://www.fph.org.uk/frequently_asked_questions_on _gmc_revalidation No. Revalidation is required to maintain a licence to practise in the UK only.  It is not required to maintain GMC registration or specialist registration. There is an option for doctors in some situations (eg. working abroad) to relinquish their licence to practise (and therefore not revalidate), but remain registered with the GMC and maintain their entry on the specialist register. This provides confirmation that their qualifications have been recognised and that they are in good standing with the GMC .  Licences can be reinstated if circumstances change. The specialist register is a historical document recording the specialties in which you have trained.  If you no longer work in the specialty for which you were originally listed on the register you will not lose your...

  This Blog clears the myth that you have to use the GMC questionnaire only for patient and colleague feedback as part of your doctor appraisal. From: RCGP-Revalidation-Mythbusters-2016.pdf The GMC questionnaires provide the template on which many appropriate patient and colleague feedback tools are now based. There is no GMC requirement to use the GMC questionnaires. They are not suitable for all patient / client groups, or accessible to all, and there may be better tools for your circumstances, whether they relate to a very specific scope of work, or a hard to reach group. The GMC has provided guidance on developing, commissioning and administering patient and colleague questionnaires as part of revalidation. You do not need to use any tool in particular, but you should choose one that is appropriate to your patient population and is accessible to all the different types of patient across your scope of work as far as possible. You should include feedback from at least the mini...