Revalidation

The annual appraisal process is central to revalidation and will continue along similar lines to the current system, including developing an annual PDP. In addition to the usual process and paperwork from appraisal, each year you must submit:

A review of any complaints made that year.
Evidence of gaining 50 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credits, to show ongoing learning (discussed in more detail below).

Over a 5 year period you will also be required to submit (these requirements have recently changed to bring the RCGP into line with the other Royal Colleges):

One patient survey and one multi-source feedback (feedback from colleagues). The RCGP is looking at the different tools available to identify which are most appropriate.
One conventional clinical audit over the 5 year period. This should complete the full audit cycle (initial audit, change implemented, re-audit to show improvement).
Ten significant event audits over the 5 year cycle. These must include a thorough analysis of a case you have been involved in, identifying and implementing appropriate change. Discussions must include the PHCT.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credits & revalidation

GPs need to earn at least 50 CPD credits a year and 250 over a 5-year period. Earning fewer than 50 credits in any one year is only acceptable in what the RCGP call 'exceptional circumstances' e.g. maternity leave/sabbatical/prolonged sickness.
All credits are self-assessed and then verified by your appraiser. To reassure you, in the pilots, GPs have tended to underestimate, not overestimate, credits earned! To gain credits you need to record the learning activity, the key learning points and show how it is relevant to your working situation.
Credits are based on two things: time spent (with 1 hour = 1 credit) and impact.
The impact factor acts as a multiplier, doubling your credits. However, to use the impact factor you have to demonstrate how your learning has had an impact:
on patients (e.g. implementing a new guideline, changing your prescribing)
on the clinician (e.g. developing a new skill, such as insulin conversion)
on a service (e.g. setting up a new obesity management clinic)
in teaching (e.g. trainers learning & using a new consultation analysis technique)
in the NHS locally or nationally (e.g. involvement in the PCT, PEC or PBC).
To apply the impact factor (doubling your credits) you must demonstrate application of your learning, for example, by writing a case study, doing a simple audit/data count or a piece of reflective writing.

Example of CPD credits and using the impact factor:

If you read up on a topic for 1 hour you get:	1 credit for reading
BUT if you read it and then spend 1 hour writing up a case study showing how you have changed your practice as a result of your reading (the impact) you get:	1 credit for initial reading 1 credit for case study Total = 2 credits
AND you can double credits because of impact factor: (you showed you had changed your practice in the case study and this impacts on patient care)	2 credits x 2 (impact factor) Total = 4 credits

CPD credits should be spread across all areas of learning need, not just one area, such as diabetes. Partners may want to include some management learning as well as clinical activities, GPs with a special interest would be expected to have some credits related to their specialist area and others related to their 'general' practice.
Courses will earn you credits by offering an attendance certificate showing the duration of the course, which you translate into credits (1 credit/hour). You can earn many more credits by taking some action as a result of a course. Our Appraisal and Revalidation Action Pack is designed to help you do just this (see below).
What can't be claimed as credits?
ou are unlikely to be awarded 50 credits just from attending courses: you need to show how your practice has changed as a result of going on a course.
Just reading will not earn you enough credits because it is unstructured and doesn't demonstrate you changed your practice as a result of any learning.
The time taken to collect audit data does not, on its own, generate credits, but time taken writing up the audit, sharing it with your colleagues and making changes as a result of the audit, would earn you credits, and qualify for the impact factor.

How can GP Update help?

Our Appraisal and Revalidation Action Pack is a practical way of applying some of your learning from GP Update. It takes you through some activities in a step-by-step way, and all the activities earn you the impact factor, doubling your credits. To help you, we have also given you a rough guide to how many credits we think each activity should earn you.
We've made a special effort to help GPs who are not regularly based in one practice, as data collection is so much more difficult for this important group, so some activities are designed specifically to meet their needs.
Use some of the activities in the GP Update Appraisal and Revalidation Action Pack and you are well on your way to getting your 50 CPD credits for the year!

Revalidation

Make sure you record your learning – if you don't, you can't claim credits for it!

The RCGP Revalidation information can be found at: www.rcgp.org.uk/_revalidation.aspx The GP Update Appraisal and Revalidation Action Pack is available at www.gp-update.co.uk/ under the 'CPD' tab.

Based on the RCGP Guide to the Revalidation of GPs, version 5, Dec 2010) and RCGP Guide to the Credit-Based system for CPD (version 2.0, January 2010).