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Revalidation is the process by which all licensed doctors in the UK demonstrate to the GMC that they are up to date and fit to practise. It was introduced in stages from December 2012.

Every doctor must revalidate, typically every five years, by providing evidence of their continued fitness to practise. This is based on regular appraisals and the collection of supporting information aligned with the principles of Good Medical Practice.

The revalidation recommendation is made by the doctor's Responsible Officer (if they have a prescribed connection to a Designated Body) or by a GMC Approved Suitable Person (if they do not).

Designated Bodies are organisations defined in the Schedule to the Medical Profession (Responsible Officers) Regulations 2010 as amended.

Part 1 of the Schedule lists organisations that are unconditionally Designated Bodies, including NHS trusts, NHS foundation trusts, Integrated Care Boards, special health authorities, and the armed forces.

Part 2 of the Schedule lists organisations that become Designated Bodies only if they have a prescribed connection with one or more doctors. These typically include independent healthcare providers registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) who provide:

• Treatment of disease, disorder or injury under medical supervision
• Surgical procedures under medical supervision
• Diagnostic and screening procedures (with some exclusions)
• Medical slimming services including prescribing of medications

In practice, most Part 2 Designated Bodies are smaller independent healthcare providers registered with the CQC.

All Designated Bodies must nominate or appoint a Responsible Officer, with very few exceptions. This includes organisations that are Designated Bodies under Part 2 of the Schedule — typically CQC-registered organisations — but only if and so long as the organisation has a prescribed connection with one or more doctors.

The requirement to nominate or appoint a Responsible Officer arises from the Medical Profession (Responsible Officers) Regulations 2010 as amended.

Every doctor in the UK is required to have one prescribed connection to a Designated Body. Prescribed Connections are defined in the Regulations in a specific hierarchy that determines the priority and order in which they are considered.

There is no flexibility in the Regulations for doctors to choose their prescribed connection. Under the Regulations, the doctor is automatically linked to the highest priority Designated Body in the hierarchy — this is their Prescribed Connection.

The priority order (highest first):

• NHS England Medical Performers List — If the doctor is on the Performers List, their prescribed connection is always to NHS England
• Employed by an NHS body — If employed by an NHS trust or similar, the connection is to that body regardless of other work
• Majority of work — If not captured above, the connection is to the Designated Body where the doctor carries out most of their work
• Equal split — Where equal between bodies, the connection is to the one closest to the doctor's GMC registered address

The doctor must start at the top and work down — the first tier that applies is their prescribed connection, irrespective of whether a lower tier also applies.

To be nominated or appointed as a Responsible Officer, a person must:

• Be a licensed medical practitioner
• Have been a medical practitioner throughout the previous five years at the time of appointment
• Undergo appropriate training to carry out the role
• Have the capacity to carry out the responsibilities required
• Have no conflict of interest

Responsible Officers have a wide range of statutory duties:

• Ensure medical practitioners undergo regular appraisal
• Investigate concerns about doctors' fitness to practise
• Refer concerns to the GMC where appropriate
• Monitor compliance with any GMC terms or conditions
• Make revalidation recommendations about doctors' fitness to practise
• Maintain records of fitness to practise evaluations including appraisals, investigations and assessments

In relation to the employment of doctors, the RO must also ensure that doctors have the necessary qualifications and experience, have satisfactory references, and are properly identified. The RO has ongoing responsibilities for monitoring conduct and performance and ensuring action is taken in response to concerns.

Where an organisation feels it would be impracticable to appoint a Responsible Officer internally, MYRO provides a named Responsible Officer who can be nominated by your organisation to act for you.

Under the Regulations, the nomination is a personal appointment. In addition, the support services provided by MYRO enable the Responsible Officer, the organisation, the appraiser and the individual doctor to work together — gathering and sharing appropriate information to enable an efficient and cost-effective system of achieving revalidation for doctors.

MYRO also provides a GMC Approved Suitable Person service for individual doctors who do not have a prescribed connection to a Designated Body.

Simply contact us via our contact page, by phone on 0845 003 8191, or by email at ro@myresponsibleofficer.org.uk.

We will discuss your situation, assess your needs, and guide you through the process of establishing a Responsible Officer or Suitable Person relationship with MYRO. We aim to respond to all enquiries within two working days.