Exclusive: High profile GP leaders are expected to be the first to go through revalidation when the process begins in December, Pulse has learned.
Senior GPs told Pulse they expected to be among the first wave of doctors to be revalidated, together with responsible officers and chief medical officers.
Dr Clare Gerada, RCGP chair, told Pulse she would be one of the first to go through the process, and said that despite some trepidation, she was pleased she would be able to ‘troubleshoot'.
In an exclusive interview, Dr Gerada said: ‘I personally will be the first to go through revalidation, so at least I can troubleshoot it.
‘I have started to keep my CPD on Excel, but it is more my patient survey because I look after sick doctors and I work at a practice where 90% of my consultations are done through a translator, so it is not easy, but I will try.
But Dr Gerada admitted: ‘I am a bit anxious about it, because what if I fail?'
Dr Laurence Buckman, chair of the GPC, said he, too, was expecting to be among the first to be revalidated, although he had not been officially told yet.
He said: ‘I would be happy to be first. It would be good to get it out of the way'.
A report recently released by the NHS Revalidation Support Team said the NHS had made ‘impressive' progress on preparing for the rollout of revalidation, with the majority of GPs linked with a responsible officer and an organisation that will assess their competence to practise from next year.
BMA chair Dr Mark Porter has admitted revalidation is ‘not going to be perfect from the start' and that the profession may have to proceed without all issues the union is fighting for being resolved.
Dr Gerada added: ‘We have been talking about revalidation in some form or other for about 60 years. So I don't think that we will ever be ready, but I think we just have to dive in and get on with it. Revalidation is there to reassure that doctors are up to date.'
The GMC declared itself ‘ready' for revalidation in July and signalled its intention to stick to its intended timetable and begin the rollout from December.
