08.02.11
Changes recommended to new revalidation scheme
The British Medical Association has welcomed MPs’ recommendations on changes to the proposed revalidation process.
The General Medical Council’s original proposals were “too bureaucratic and unrealistic”, the BMA said, and its council chairman Dr Hamish Meldrum said he was pleased at the changes recommended by the House of Commons’ Health Select Committee today.
The committee warned that too little attention has been given to the issue of how to deal with doctors whose practice gives cause for concern, saying: “We regard this as an important weakness in the current proposals which the GMC needs to address if the introduction of revalidation is to help sustain public confidence in the medical profession.”
It also raised concerns about the use of the word ‘remediation’, employers’ appraisal systems, Responsible Officers, and doctors for whom English is a second language.
Meldrum said: “I am pleased that the Health Committee agrees that the revalidation process needs to be streamlined and more realistic in what it is trying to achieve. It is also reassuring to note that the Committee concurs that more guidance and detail is required for Responsible Officers to deal with concerns about a doctor’s performance.
“The process to revalidate doctors has been in discussion for over ten years and this demonstrates that the original proposals were too bureaucratic and unrealistic. It would be better to build on what we have and standardise doctors’ appraisals throughout the UK. The appraisal process could then be regularly improved and used as a tool to give doctors better feedback about their performance so that patient care can be improved even further.
“Unfortunately it is not always the case that sufficient information exists from the appraisal system about a doctor’s performance. Appraisal systems around the country remain patchy, a fact that has been highlighted by the inquiry. The BMA has received reports that some doctors are not being appraised and some do not even have access to data from their Trust to enable them to be appraised effectively.
“I urge the GMC to take note of this inquiry and work with doctors to ensure that revalidation is delivered on time and benefits patients and doctors.”
For more on the Health Select Committee’s report, see www.parliament.uk/business/committees/
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