Assessment
At present there is no universal system of assessment for hospital doctors. The current system of appraisal and revalidation is currently in a state of flux following the publication of the white paper Trust, Assurance and Safety - The Regulation of Health Professionals in the 21st Century.1
Following on from the publication of this paper, the royal colleges and other relevant bodies are now working to ensure that a valid, reliable, and fair system of regulation is put in place for all doctors. The white paper states that "standards will be drawn up for each area of specialist recertification by the appropriate medical royal colleges and specialist associations. These standards will be tested against the needs of patients and healthcare providers and based on wide consultation with all relevant stakeholders. The standards will be agreed with the GMC to ensure that they are sufficient to meet the requirements for remaining on the appropriate part of the medical register. This work will be led by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges."
To find out more about how assessment will work in your particular specialty you should look to your royal college. The websites of all the royal colleges are available here:
- Royal College of Physicians of London
- Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
- Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow
- College of Emergency Medicine
- Royal College of Anaesthetists
- Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
- Faculty of Occupational Medicine
- Royal College of Ophthalmologists
- Royal College of Pathologists
- Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine
- Royal College of Psychiatrists
- Faculty of Public Health
- Royal College of Radiologists
- Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
- Royal College of Surgeons of England
1. Trust, Assurance and Safety The Regulation of Health Professionals in the 21st Century http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_065946
