The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) welcomes the launch of the pathfinder pilot projects to test out the medical revalidation process. The introduction of revalidation in the UK is an important step in ensuring patient safety and quality care.
The RCOG is committed to raising standards of care and to ensuring that Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is embedded in the lives of senior doctors. The college established a voluntary CPD program fifteen years ago. It was also the first Royal College to publish a Working Party Report on recertification, which has defined our revalidation model for obstetricians and gynaecologists. This simple but robust model consists of regular appraisal, multisource feedback and an enhanced CPD programme. The RCOG revalidation model has been approved by the General Medical Council (GMC). The college is currently developing an e-portfolio so that participants and their Responsible Officers can access their folder electronically as required. We believe that this model will help to ensure that our clinicians maintain the highest standards and stay up-to-date in their areas of practice.
The RCOG looks forward to working with the Department of Health to make revalidation a reality. It also hopes to work together to develop a mechanism to support doctors whose practice may require professional support.
We encourage all those interested in this area to consult our Working Party Report and CPD programme documents.
27 January 2010
Notes
The Working Party Report and CPD programme documents are available online at http://www.rcog.org.uk/recertification-obstetrics-gynaecology.
For further information on revalidation, please visit http://www.rcog.org.uk/our-profession/revalidation.