Solas Healthcare

• Doctors must regularly demonstrate that they’re keeping their skills and knowledge up to date. This process is called revalidation. Every licensed doctor must revalidate to show they are fit to practise and maintain their licence to work in the UK.
• In 2012 the GMC made revalidation a requirement for all doctors working in the UK to retain their license to practise. Revalidation requires evidencing that you are working to required standards.

• Under the amended Medical Profession (Responsible Officer) Regulations 2010,it is a legal requirement for healthcare entities that employ or contract doctors not already connected to appoint or nominate a Responsible Officer to oversee the process of revalidation. The Responsible Officer will have a prescribed connection to the medical practitioners for the purposes of making revalidation recommendations to the GMC.

Every doctor working in the UK is required to have a connection to a healthcare entity or Designated Body with which they are employed or to which they are contracted.

• If you are a healthcare entity that employs or contracts doctors, the process of appointing a Responsible Officer and establishing systems and procedures can be costly in terms of both staff and money. Commissioning a third party to provide external Responsible Officer Services can help avoid this.