Revalidation & Standards

Revalidation & Professional Standards

Key Information

All resident doctors must have full GMC registration and a permanent licence to practise throughout the duration of their training.  They must also maintain their licence to practise until the end of their formal training and end of their employment contract.

All doctors with a licence to practise need to meet the requirements of revalidation. This includes having a Responsible Officer (RO) and connecting to a Designated Body.

As a resident doctor in the South West your Responsible Officer is Dr Elizabeth Eley and your Designated Body is NHSE Education – South West

When you start your training with us you must update your Designated Body via your GMC Online account to ensure that you are connected to NHSE Education South West (NHSE SW).

Please only connect to NHSE SW a maximum of 7 days prior to the start date of your training programme, if you connect any sooner we will take steps to remove your connection until nearer to your start date.

As an NHS England South West Training Number (NTN) holder, you must maintain your licence to practise and remain connected to NHSE SW for the duration of your programme, this includes any period of ‘Out of Programme’ (OOP) and statutory leave.

Exceptions

F1 doctors hold a provisional licence and do not have a Designated Body or Responsible Officer.

Military resident doctors – your Responsible Officer is the Defence Dean and your Designated Body will be the Defence Deanery.

How Revalidation works

All doctors are subject to revalidation once every five years after full registration at F2.  In addition to this, resident doctors are also revalidated around the time that they obtain their Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT).

As a resident doctor in training with NHSE Education South West, the Revalidation team will manage your revalidation submission on your behalf. 

In order for us to make a revalidation recommendation to the GMC a resident doctor needs to be ‘under notice’.  This will happen automatically once your submission date is within 12 months.  We can make a submission at any point during this time. 

If you do wish to check your submission date you can find it via your GMC Online account, but the GMC will also be in touch with you via email with formal notice.

For Resident Doctors who obtain CCT we may need to change your submission date, to bring it in line with your CCT, particularly if your revalidation submission date is not due.  We call this ‘bringing forward’ which we do on your behalf and will advise you of the new date via email.  Please note that you will also receive an email from the GMC.

Evidence we use

The main source of evidence used for revalidation is your ARCP.  Fulfilling the requirements of your training programme and participating fully with the ARCP process is the equivalent of an annual appraisal, which doctors in non-training posts have to complete each year.

Should we find there is insufficient evidence available to us, we will contact you to request additional information.

An outcome 2, 3 or 4 does not mean we cannot make a revalidation recommendation unless there are also fitness to practise concerns.

The Form R for Speciality and GP resident doctors in South West training programmes are to be completed via the Trainee Information Self Service Portal (TSS).  Please read through the email guidance sent from your Programme Administration Team ahead of your ARCP.

The FormR is in 2 parts (Part A and B) – both parts must be completed each time.

A FormR should be completed even if on a period of absence from the training programme eg. OOP, Maternity or sick Leave, without this we will not be in a position to submit a positive recommendation to the GMC.

Please note that Foundation resident doctors do not currently use TSS and they are required to use the Form R that is available on the Horus e-portfolio.

Guidance Document

All work that requires you to be a doctor must be declared alongside your training roles on your FormR. 
In addition a whole scope of practice form should be completed for each role that you undertake outside of training, and for which you do not have an appraisal.  All such roles should be declared in the Scope of Practice section on the Form R.

Guidance Document – Whole Scope of Practice Guidance

Guidance Document – Whole Scope of Practice Form

If you have had a break between training programmes (eg. between Foundation and Specialty), any medical posts should be appraised.   If required, we will contact you to request sight of appraisals. Please be advised that we cannot accept any work that has been done outside of the UK and the Crown Dependencies as per the guidance from the GMC.

Trusts are required to report resident doctor involvement in Patient Safety Incidents, Formal Complaints and disciplinary proceedings.

These are referred to as Incident Reports. These should be shared with you ahead of them being provided to us.

What Resident doctors need to know

  • Engage with your training programme and the ARCP process, including submitting the required documents within the set deadlines
  • Respond to requests from the revalidation team for additional information in a timely manner that will help us process your revalidation submission
  • When on an approved absence from training eg OOP, you must maintain your licence to practise and remain connected to NHSE Education South West as your Responsible Officer 

Deferrals

Occasionally we may need to submit a ‘defer’ as your revalidation recommendation.  This moves your submission date to allow more time to gather evidence that needs to be collected and reviewed. For example, if you haven’t had an ARCP within the last 12 months.

Deferrals should not be regarded as negative and does not mean that you cannot practise medicine or continue your training.

Contact Details

For all enquiries please email:  england.revalidation.sw@nhs.net