Purpose of the Annual Appraisal in GMC Revalidation

An annual appraisal is demonstration of your fitness to practice as a medical practitioner. In an annual appraisal process, your work performance is evaluated and documented.

An Annual appraisal gives you a chance to focus on your professional development needs. It shows your personal and professional development and illustrate it to General Medical Council (GMC) for revalidation.

Annual appraisal is used for mainly four purposes.

1. It disclose your practice and performance to your appraiser for evaluation for you to remain up to date and fit for your practice. The appraiser checks whether you meet all the principles and values set out in the GMC framework Good Medical Practice.
2. To support you to enhance quality of your professional work by planning your professional development. 
3. To enable you to consider your own learning needs.
4. To confirm whether you are working according to the priorities and requirements of the organization where you practice.

For doctors in the UK, appraisal should be created on the core guidance of the GMC i.e. Good Medical Practice. The Good Medical Practice framework for appraisal consists of four domains which medical practitioners should cover. They are:

• Knowledge, skills and performance
• Safety and quality
• Communication, teamwork and partnership
• Maintaining trust

In an annual appraisal, you need to collect supporting information to show that you are meeting the professional standards set for you in your day-to-day practice. The supporting information helps your appraiser to complete your appraisal and your responsible officer to make recommendation to the GMC for your revalidation. The supporting information includes Continuing Professional Development, patient’s feedback, colleague’s feedback, quality improvement activity, significant events, complaints and compliments evaluation.

Your annual appraisal must cover all the practice you have done. If you have practiced in more than one organization as a locum work or voluntary work etc. then you need to collect all the supporting information from those organization. Those information must cover all your practice and should be included on your annual appraisal.

Appraisals should generally be directed by an appraiser from your senior doctor’s team. It’s your choice to prepare the annual appraisal in a paper based portfolio or use the electronic system.

Appraisal and revalidation

Revalidation is the process where licensed doctors demonstrate that they are up to date and fit for the medical practice. Revalidation is done on the basis of your local clinical governance and appraisal process. Your appraisal helps to support your Responsible Officer (RO) to take decision to recommend you for your revalidation to the GMC. Revalidation is done in every five years, but annual appraisal must be covered each year within the five years. It is a compulsory document as it covers your medical practice.

If you need any help with your annual appraisal and revalidation, then feel free to contact us anytime. Our team is always ready to help you.

Recruitment synergy is a London based Medical Recruitment Agency. We provide medical recruitment and migrational services across the UK.