From Autumn 2009 all doctors who wish to practise medicine in the UK will require a Licence to Practise. This is the first practical step in introducing a system for regularly checking and assuring every doctor’s continued fitness to practise, known as revalidation. Identifying and affirming that all doctors are keeping their knowledge up to date and providing safe patient care is intended to strengthen professional regulation and enhance service quality. This will be done through doctors regularly demonstrating that they are practising in accordance with agreed standards. The first doctors are expected to be revalidated under these processes from 2011.
This Briefing explains the key elements of the process, sets out the various roles and responsibilities, and discusses the areas that remain to be resolved as revalidation gets underway.