FAQs
What is the purpose of revalidation?
The purpose of revalidation of a Postgraduate Doctors Licence to Practice is to give patients greater confidence in the profession and support the individual in maintaining and improving their practice.
What is a Responsible Officer and Who is my Responsible Officer?
This is a senior clinician in a Designated Body who ensures that the Postgraduate Doctors for whom they act in this nominated capacity, continue to practice safely and are properly supported and managed in maintaining their professional standards.
Your Responsible Officer (RO), as a Postgraduate Doctor in Training (PGDiT) in NHS England working across Yorkshire and Humber, is Dr Jonathan Cooper.
What is a Designated Body and How will the GMC know who my Designated Body is?
This is the organisation that a licenced Postgraduate Doctor has a professional, educational or employment connection with that provides them with support for revalidation. For Postgraduate Doctors in Training (PGDiTs), this is NHS England working across Yorkshire and Humber.
Postgraduate Doctors in Training (PGDiTs) are responsible for keeping their Designated Body accurate and up to date and are able to change Designated Body's if moving to another area or have completed training.
The GMC will know who your Designated Body is, through completion of the GMC Trainee Survey. Your Designated Body is your NHSE local office and not the Trust unless you are not in a substantive training programme post.
What do I need to do as a Postgraduate Doctor for Revalidation?
You will already produce much or all of the evidence required for revalidation as a matter of course during your training, through meeting the requirements of your curriculum and periodic discussions with your educational supervisor. Specialty tPostgraduate Doctors in Training (PGDiTs) will need to complete an enhanced Form R. The Form R is the document that all Specialty Postgraduate Doctors in Training (PGDiTs) sign annually, and this enhanced version requires you to answer questions about whether you have been involved in any complaints or investigated incidents over the last year. You will need to send this form back to the appropriate person, and you will be given full contact details.
In relation to completing the Form R, what is a significant event?
The GMC state that a significant event (also known as an untoward or critical incident) is any unintended or unexpected event, which could or did lead to harm of one or more patients. This includes incidents which did not cause harm but could have done, or where the event should have been prevented, which is significant enough to be investigated by your employing organisation.
It is an expectation that all doctors as part of the requirements for revalidation are required to record and reflect on significant events in their work with the focus on what they have learnt as a result of the event/s. You only need to record this information on your form R if any formal investigations have not been completed and resolved, or if they have not been included in your portfolio.
The Form R asks for my revalidation date, where can I find this information?
This field is to capture those Postgraduate Doctors who have already revalidated previously, all Postgraduate Doctors will revalidate at point of CCT, so if you have been revalidated in the middle of your training. The Revalidation Team will ensure this is changed and brought forward to align with your CCT date. If you are unaware of where to locate your revalidation date, you can find details on GMC Online. You should have a log in/password to access this site.
Where can I find the GMC programme approval number and/or Deanery Reference Number / National Training Number?
This information is completed by us. For the GMC survey this information will be provided to you through the survey from the information provided by us direct to the GMC.
What role does my employer have in my revalidation?
Your employer will be supplying information to us in relation to any incidents Postgraduate Doctors in Training (PGDiTs) have been involved within (categories below) by completing an exception report. Your employer should provide the Postgraduate Doctor with a copy.
The information on the Exception Reports submitted will be provided, under three headings: -
Conduct/capability investigation
The employer will be asked to confirm whether you have been involved in a conduct or capability investigation and to provide a brief summary:
Serious Untoward Incident/Significant Event investigation
If you have been involved in a Serious Untoward Incident, whether investigated or not, you should have discussed it with your educational supervisor and reflected on the outcome in your portfolio as part of the normal education appraisal process.
Complaints
If you know you have been involved in a complaint you should have discussed it with your educational supervisor and reflected on the outcome in your portfolio as part of the normal educational appraisal process.
How will I know if I have been recommended or not for revalidation?
The recommendation for revalidation to the GMC will occur every 5 years, and again at CCT, or at the point of CCT where this comes first. You can find your current Revalidation date on your GMC online account. Once a revalidation recommendation has been made, you will receive confirmation via email from the GMC.
How is my grace period accounted for?
The Postgraduate Dean will remain the Responsible Officer until the end of the period of grace.
Who is the Postgraduate Dean responsible for?
The Postgraduate Dean is only responsible for Postgraduate Doctors in GMC approved training programmes and posts. This will include Postgraduate Doctors who are currently out of programme. The Postgraduate Dean is NOT responsible for any locums including LASs, Trust grade jobs, staff grade posts and other non-training grade posts.
If I get an outcome other than a 1 in my ARCP does that mean I will not get revalidation?
Not at all. It is quite possible to get an outcome 3 or 4 for failure to pass key exams, but unless there are other problems (e.g. conduct or health) it would have no effect on your revalidation decision.
What if I change my Designated Body between now and before my revalidation date.
If you change your Designated Body before your revalidated date, you will then be revalidated by your new Designated Body that you reconnect with.
What happens if I am absent for a period of time or have a break from my training programme; what effect will this have on my revalidation?
If you are absent or take a break from the training programme which is approved by us (meaning that you do not give up your training number), then your revalidation date and prescribed connection will remain the same, and you do not need to do anything else. This might include taking up an out of programme training or research post, or going on maternity or long term sick leave. If your revalidation date happens to fall whilst you are out of training, your Responsible Officer will have the option to defer your revalidation. Deferral of the revalidation recommendation does not have any impact on your licence to practice, and is not a detrimental judgement.