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Background
The first version of Good Medical Practice for General Practitioners1 was published in 2002. This revised version is required for several reasons. Not only has the context and delivery of general practice moved on, but also the General Medical Council’s (GMC) Good Medical Practice2 itself has been revised. The original document was set in the context of imminent regular revalidation; after a sustained period of debate and reflection, revalidation is now to be introduced in a modified form,3, 4 and Good Medical Practice for General Practitioners (2008) needed to reflect those changes. The concept of revalidation now encompasses two activities – relicensure and recertification. All doctors registered with the GMC and wishing to work in the UK will be required to hold a licence to practise in the near future. This licence will need to be renewed (relicensure) at least every five years. Those doctors working unsupervised within specialties have been issued with certificates and appear on either the GMC’s specialist or general practitioner (GP) registers. In order to continue to be on these registers doctors will need, within a few years, to renew their certificates every five years (recertification). The requirements for revalidation will include those for both recertification and relicensure so that one process will cover both outcomes. The purpose of revalidation (recertification and relicensure) is to ensure that licensed doctors are up to date and fit to practise. Revalidation has three elements: 1. To confirm that licensed doctors practise in accordance with the GMC’s generic standards (relicensing) 2. For doctors on the specialist register or GP register, to confirm that they meet the standards appropriate for their specialty (recertification) 3. As a backstop, to identify for further investigation, and remediation where appropriate, doctors whose practice is impaired, or may be impaired.
1
Royal College of General Practitioners. Good Medical Practice for General Practitioners London: RCGP, 2002, www.rcgp.org.uk/PDF/Corp_GMP06.pdf.
2
General Medical Council. Good Medical Practice London: GMC, 2006, www.gmc-uk.org/guidance/good_medical_practice/GMC_GMP.pdf.
3
Chief Medical Officer for England. Good Doctors, Safer Patients London: Department of Health, 2006, www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/documents/digitalasset/dh_4137276.pdf.
4
Secretary of State for Health (England). Trust, Assurance and Safety: the regulation of health professionals in the 21st century London: Stationery Office, 2007, www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm70/7013/7013.pdf.