What legislation is in place to support revalidation?
The Medical Act 1983 is the primary UK legislation that provides the legal basis for everything that the GMC does. This legislation, and accompanying regulations, will set out the provisions for revalidation. These provisions will have to be switched on (‘commenced’) before revalidation can be implemented. The Responsible Officer legislation was passed on 1 January 2011 for England, Scotland and Wales, having been in place since 1 October 2010 in Northern Ireland. This legislation places a responsibility on every organisation designated in the legislation to appoint a Responsible Officer who will then bear responsibility for overseeing the provision of adequate systems and processes for revalidation, including annual appraisals and clinical governance. The designated organisations, in return, have a responsibility to prove the Responsible Officers with the resources they require to carry out their role. The legislation will provide the framework of powers and duties for revalidation bu
