Revalidation and public health
17 June 2009
Dr Steve George spoke on the implications of revalidation on for public health consultants.
While there are still many elements of revalidation requiring further work and some areas that no organisation
has a firm answer on, Dr George was clear in emphasising those important areas that members should be aware
of and understand. Firstly, the vast majority of public health professionals are practicing to a high standard.
Therefore, revalidation should be a process that supports continuous quality improvement in standards and
practice, for both public health professionals and the public alike.
Crucially, information has been recently issued to doctors by the General Medical Council. It is essential that all practising public health doctors take up a licence to practise. This is because the licence will cover your professional practise which is not limited to clinical activity.
Without a licence to practise, public health doctors will not be able to:
- take up a consultant post in the UK
- advise local authorities on health-related matters
- conduct or oversee clinical trials
- act as a medical member on the HPA board or at NHS tribunals
- sign cremation certificates, or
- inspect premises for community care.
These are only a few examples, with a full list of 400 activities available defined by statute. Dr George emphasised that taking up your licence can be done simply and quickly online and FPH advises all of its practising members to do this at the earliest opportunity. Once revalidation begins, members will need to be licensed to be revalidated.
The first tranche of revalidation, from a legal perspective, will be for medically qualified specialists (now likely to begin in 2011 when responsible officers are in position). However, FPH anticipates that this will be a legal obligation for all specialists within a year of the launch of the scheme. In order to maintain parity and to ensure the professionalism of all its members, FPH will be requiring all of its members to begin a process of revalidation when the scheme is launched. FPH is currently in discussions with UKPHR as to how this process is best implemented.
Dr George went on to describe the components of revalidation which may comprise: training, peer feedback, Continuing Professional Development (CPD), audit (where applicable), professional practice, practice review, patient feedback (for public health doctors or dentists with direct responsibility for clinical services or patient care), clinical governance (for public health doctors or dentists with direct responsibility for clinical services or patient care), research governance (for public health doctors or dentists undertaking research on patients/staff). It is certain that enhanced appraisal and CPD will be at the heart of revalidation. FPH is currently working on speciality standards for public health, non-clinical standards for AoMRC, piloting a public health specific MSF model.
FPH will continue to represents the needs of public health as revalidation moves forward and will continue to keep members informed via e-bulletins, ph.com, dedicated letters and leaflets and the website. A leaflet on revalidation and public health was distributed at the session and this will be posted to all members with the next issue of ph.com.