Over 3,000 doctors
will test out a new system of strengthened appraisal that will
improve the quality and safety of patient care, Health Secretary
Andy Burnham announced today.
The doctors will take part in ten revalidation pilot studies
across England and will be the first to try out a process, which
will provide assurance on whether they are up to date with medical
advances and fit to practice.
The pilot studies are a key stage towards the introduction of a
new system in which all doctors practicing in the UK will need to
have their licences revalidated by the General Medical Council
every five years.
The pilots, which will cover doctors working in a wide range of
NHS healthcare settings and differing regions across England, will:
· test the role of the responsible officer - the senior doctor
with local responsibility for overseeing the revalidation process
· test the proposals for a strengthened form of medical appraisal
· look at the role of the Medical Royal Colleges or Faculties to
support revalidation.
Health Secretary Andy Burnham said:
“These pilots will provide the NHS with the opportunity to test
out how the new system should work in practice.
“Revalidation will provide the scrutiny that patients rightly
expect and provide assurance that the doctor who is treating them
is keeping up to date and has all the skills and competencies
necessary to do a good job.
“It will also help support doctors to reflect on their practice,
continue to develop their skills and enable them to access
professional development throughout their careers.”
Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson said:
“This new system will not only boost the levels of public trust
in doctors, it will also allow us to step in and support those
professionals who are struggling to keep pace.
“We have been delighted with the number of organisations who
applied to take part in the pilots which shows that the NHS is
keen to move forward on revalidation.
“We will continue to listen to patients and doctors as we move
through the pilots and ensure they are independently evaluated.
“It will be important to strike the balance between finding a
process that will inspire confidence but not so detailed and
intricate that it is overly bureaucratic and expensive.”
"Ultimately the process is aimed at helping the vast
majority of doctors who are already delivering good care to do
even better and to provide patients with reassurance that their
doctor is a good doctor with 21st century knowledge and
skills".
General Medical Council Chairman Peter Rubin said:
"For the vast majority of doctors in this country
appraisal will confirm what they already do: keep their skills and
knowledge up to date and demonstrate high levels of
professionalism every day of their working lives.
“However, an effective system of appraisal will also mean that
doctors will have the opportunity to reflect on their practice and
identify learning needs.
“The doctors who take part in these important pilots will play a
vital role in helping to shape a key part of revalidation."
The pilots will begin in January 2010 and run through to 31 March
2011. There will then be the first testing of the full process
some time in late 2011 / early 2012.
Notes to Editors
1. For media enquiries or for case study details please contact
the DH newsdesk on 020 7210 5221.
2. In November the GMC took the historic step of issuing new
licences for doctors, which will need to be revalidated every five
years.
3. In the spring, the GMC will be launching a public consultation
on a range of revalidation issues including the standards that
doctors will be expected to meet. These standards have been drawn
up by the Medical Royal Colleges and relate to the separate
specialties that doctors work in, as well as to general practice.
4. The Pathfinder pilots will follow on from the successful
completion of first phase pilots, such as the enhanced appraisal
pilot which took place during 2009 in the Mersey Region.
5. The pilot sites will be in the following locations - to see
the table this refers to please go to the following link:
http://nds.coi.gov.uk/Content/Detail.aspx?ReleaseID=410589&NewsAreaID=2&ClientID=46
Contacts:
Department of Health
Phone: 020 7210 5221
NDS.DH@coi.gsi.gov.uk