Medical Revalidation, which was formally introduced by the GMC in December 2013, is a process that happens largely in the background. Unless requested specifically by the Responsible Officer, doctors are expected to continue with ongoing annual processes (e.g. appraisals, mandatory training etc).
The revalidation cycle is every 5 years. All those revalidated will be due for revalidation 5 years from their revalidated date.
All doctors are required to engage with annual appraisals - which is a contractual obligation - and is crucial in the revalidation process.
Although intrinsically linked, revalidation and medical appraisal are separate processes.
The GMC sets the requirements for revalidation; and typically the college and employing health boards set the guidelines for annual appraisals.
Irrespective of whether you are due for revalidation, the appraisal format is exactly the same every year and the process is as described in What do I have to do for my appraisal this year?.
There are certain supporting information that are required annually for medical appraisal but for revalidation, doctors are asked to submit a Colleague Feedback (Multi-Source Feedback) and a Patient Feedback (link opens in new window) once in a 5-yearly revalidation cycle. You do not have to undertake both in the same appraisal, but you do have to undertake both prior to your revalidation.
NES has provided a free MSF tool if you wish to use this. Simply login to SOAR and click the link for "MSF" in the menu and follow the on-screen instructions.
Patient Survey Questionnaires (PSQ) are organised locally by the health board and NES has no involvement with this. Each health board will have its own procedures, protocols and questionnaires to use.
You are advised to contact the local team for guidance in the first instance.
Both MSF and PSQ activities take time to complete: a typical MSF can take several weeks to give your nominated raters time to complete; and PSQ may take months in order to collate as much feedback as possible to make the exercise meaningful to the doctor.
If possible, avoid leaving both until the last appraisal before revalidation.
It has been recognised that because of the nature of their work, a small number of doctors will find it difficult to provide supporting information in these two areas. There will be some doctors who have very little or no patient contact, and for these doctors obtaining patient feedback will not be practical. If you feel the nature of your work will not allow you to participate in these activities, you should raise this with your appraiser as soon as possible.
The GMC has provided specific case studies and guidance (link opens in new window) which you may find helpful.
Your college may also have further information that can help to guide you through the process and this can be accessed through the Academy of Royal Colleges or through your individual college.
If you have any other concerns or think you may require additional support as a result of the revalidation requirements, please contact your appraiser at the earliest opportunity.
This page was last updated on: 21/03/2022
