Revalidation Health Dictionary

A statutory body of elected and appointed medical practitioners and appointed lay members with the responsibility of protecting patients and guiding doctors in their professional practice. Set up by parliament in 1858 – at the request of the medical profession, which was concerned by the large numbers of untrained people practising as doctors – the GMC is responsible for setting educational and professional standards; maintaining a register of quali?ed practitioners; and disciplining doctors who fail to maintain appropriate professional standards, cautioning them or temporarily or permanently removing them from the Medical Register if they are judged un?t to practise.

The Council is funded by doctors’ annual fees and is responsible to the Privy Council. Substantial reforms of the GMC’s structure and functions have been and are still being undertaken to ensure that it operates e?ectively in today’s rapidly evolving medical and social environment. In particular, the Council has strengthened its supervisory and disciplinary functions, and among many changes has proposed the regular revalidation of doctors’ professional abilities on a periodic basis. The Medical Register, maintained by the GMC, is intended to enable the public to identify whom it is safe to approach to obtain medical services. Entry on the Register shows that the doctor holds a recognised primary medical quali?cation and is committed to upholding the profession’s values. Under revalidation requirements being ?nalised, in addition to holding an initial quali?cation, doctors wishing to stay on the Register will have to show their continuing ?tness to practise according to the professional attributes laid down by the GMC.

Once revalidation is fully established, there will be four categories of doctor:

Those on the Register who successfully show their ?tness to practise on a regular basis.

Those whose registration is limited, suspended or removed as a result of the Council’s disciplinary procedures.

Those who do not wish to stay on the Register or retain any links with the GMC.

Those, placed on a supplementary list, who do not wish to stay on the main Register but who want to retain a formal link with the medical profession through the Council. Such doctors will not be able to practise or prescribe.... general medical council (gmc)

the framework through which the NHS aims to deliver high-quality services within a safe system, with continuous efforts for service improvement. Introduced in 1998, clinical governance emphasizes the concept of accountability: organizations, teams, and individuals should understand and accept their roles and responsibilities in delivering care. The range of activities undertaken under the banner of clinical governance includes ensuring clinical effectiveness of treatments, *risk management, *clinical audit, *quality assurance, patient and public involvement (in local *Healthwatch groups), staff education, development, and training (see appraisal; revalidation), and research. There is a push in the NHS towards integrated governance: a cohesive approach to all governance arrangements (clinical, corporate, and financial) in organizations, with an emphasis on involving patients and external stakeholders in the development of future arrangements. See also Care Quality Commission; integrated care pathway; NICE; national service frameworks.... clinical governance

(GMC) the regulatory body of the medical profession in the UK, which was established in 1858 by the Medical Act and has statutory powers. It licenses doctors to practise medicine and has the power to revoke licences or place restrictions on practice. The governing body of the GMC, its Council, comprises 12 members, 6 of which are medically qualified and 6 of which are not. Its purpose is to protect, promote, and maintain the health and safety of the public by ensuring proper standards in the practice of medicine and medical education and training. Following various high-profile cases involving malpractice, there has been a shift in the role of the GMC from one of simple registration to that of *revalidation of doctors.

GMC website: includes the Council’s guide to Good Medical Practice... general medical council

n. a system in which the medical register shows whether a doctor is a licensed medical practitioner or holds registration only. It is the licence to practise rather than registration that signifies to patients and employers that a doctor has the legal authority to hold a post as a doctor, write prescriptions, sign death certificates, and exercise various other legal privileges. See also revalidation.... licensing