Stage 06 — Revalidation & CPD
Revalidation is every five years; appraisal is every year. Miss either and your licence to practise is gone. IMG2NHS turns both into background noise — structured, evidenced, RO-ready.
The 5-year arc
Connect to a Designated Body
GMC Connect, RO assigned, first appraisal booked
Quality improvement cycle
Audit started, MSF distributed
Patient feedback
PSQ completed once in cycle
Consolidate evidence
All four GMP domains covered, gaps closed
Revalidation decision
RO submits recommendation to GMC
Good Medical Practice
The GMC's Good Medical Practice structures supporting information across four domains. Every cycle, evidence each one.
Annual appraisal
List every role you've held since last appraisal: NHS post, private, locum, charity, teaching. Drives evidence requirements.
Last year's personal development plan — what you achieved, what's outstanding, what's been deprioritised and why.
Five to ten reflective notes mapped to GMP domains. Quality over quantity — depth of learning matters.
CPD log, audit, incidents, feedback. Upload to portfolio at least 4 weeks before the meeting.
60–90 minutes with your trained appraiser. Discussion of practice, wellbeing, new PDP, sign-off.
Appraiser's summary uploaded to portfolio and visible to your Responsible Officer.
CPD accounting
CPD credits stack by category. Most Royal Colleges expect a mix of external and internal, with reflection attached to anything self-directed.
| Type | Credits | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| External courses | 1 credit / hour | Royal College conferences, accredited courses |
| Internal teaching | 1 credit / hour | Trust grand rounds, journal club attended |
| Teaching delivered | 1 credit / hour prep + delivery | Capped reasonably per College |
| e-Learning | 1 credit / hour | BMJ Learning, e-LFH, College modules |
| Self-directed reading | Variable, with reflection | Reflection note required to claim |
| Audit / QI activity | Counts within Safety pillar | Plus credits for any associated learning |
| Target | 50 credits / year (250 / cycle) | RCGP / most Royal College standard |
Significant events & complaints
Use the SEA template: what happened, what went well, what didn't, what changed. One page, one event.
Log every formal complaint; record reflection and any practice change. Compliments balance the picture.
Cross-reference your Datix entries to portfolio. Don't double-count — reflection makes them appraisable.
Five-step model: description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, action plan. Two paragraphs is enough.
Responsible Officer
Five-yearly checklist
Annual budget
Verified against current GMC, Royal College and MDU/MPS publications. NHS work is indemnified centrally; private work isn't.
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| GMC annual retention | £433 | Verify current GMC fee |
| Appraisal toolkit (SOAR / FourteenFish / L2P) | £90–£250 / yr | Often Trust-funded for substantive posts |
| Royal College membership | £300–£550 / yr | Varies by College and grade |
| Royal College exams (CPD-linked) | £500–£1,800 | If sitting MRCP / MRCGP / MRCS within cycle |
| Conference attendance | £200–£900 / event | Plus travel & accommodation |
| Indemnity (NHS work) | Covered by CNST | NHS Resolution covers NHS-only practice |
| Indemnity (private work) | £800–£3,500 / yr | MDU / MPS / MDDUS depending on scope |
| Total typical (NHS-only) | £900–£1,300 / yr | Excluding optional conferences |
Frequently asked
Every five years. The Responsible Officer sends a recommendation to the GMC during the final months of your cycle.
Missing one appraisal isn't automatically fatal — but repeated non-engagement triggers an RO non-engagement notice and the GMC can withdraw your licence to practise.
RCGP and most Royal Colleges expect around 50 credits per year, with at least 25 from external sources. Five-year cycle target is ~250.
No — once per revalidation cycle each. Many doctors run them in years 2 and 3 to leave space if results need follow-up.
Yes — IMG2NHS produces an RO-ready summary in the same shape, with all four GMP domains covered, exportable to GMC Connect.
A full audit cycle (plan → measure → change → re-measure) is the gold standard. Service evaluation, guideline implementation and PDSA cycles all count if documented.
Locum agencies act as the Designated Body for many locum-only doctors. Otherwise the Trust where you work most NHS sessions is your prescribed connection.
You can voluntarily relinquish your licence, then reapply when ready. Or stay registered without a licence — cheaper, but you can't practise.
Yes — your scope of work declaration must include it, and evidence (audit, feedback, CPD) should cover it. Your RO assesses your whole practice.
Only with explicit, time-boxed share links you generate. We never push data to your Trust automatically.
Founding members lock in lifetime appraisal templates and CPD tracking at no extra cost.
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