Top 3 challenges in planning and implementing revalidation in Ireland

Prof Freddie WoodPresident of the Medical Council

OverviewMedical Council of Ireland

Maintenance of Professional Competence

Current challenges

Future direction

Why Your Training Counts?Medical Council of Ireland

Medical Council if Ireland25 person board, nominated and elected, medical and lay (lay majority)

Medical Practitioners Act 2007

c20,000 doctors registered• 12% trainees• 42% general division - heterogeneity• 46% specialist division

Registration with annual retention – no fixed term license or annual practising certificate

Medical Council’s role

Maintaining the register of doctorsSafeguarding education quality for

doctors

Setting standards for doctors practiceResponding to concerns about

doctors

Good professional practice for safe, high quality patient care

Why Your Training Counts?Maintenance of professional competence

Learning model“shift the curve”

Improvement for all

Assessment Model“tackle the tail”

Responsive or all?

Formative Summative

St George I et al, Fam Med 2004

Learning or assessment systems?

• Enrol in a professional competence scheme operated by a recognised postgraduate training body

• Engage in activity and record with scheme• Statement each year from scheme• Declaration to Medical Council each year• Sample of doctors requested to providing supporting information –

random and risk-based• Fall short – opportunity to correct• Wilfully cease, fail or refuse to observe legal duty – complaint and

disciplinary action

Type of Activity Minimum

Credit Per Year

External maintenance of knowledge and skills

20

Internal practice evaluation and development

20

Personal learning 5

Research or teaching 2 desirable

Clinical audit 1

Current MoPC model

Why Your Training Counts?Current challenges

• Diversity in medical practice – general v specialist division expressing different needs?– One size fits all or different models?

• Regulatory force for maintenance of competence– Proportionality …. Raising a complaint vs withholding

registration – Hard regulatory force versus professional leadership

• Moving on from inputs to meaningful engagement with outcomes and quality of performance

Challenges

Why Your Training Counts?Future direction

Future direction• Regulatory infrastructure fit for purpose?– Toolkit of devices– Time-bound registration

• Move on from input – focus on in-practice objective information about performance – Who makes judgement, how and what next?

• Professional engagement – do we wait, or do we move from discussion to action?

Why Your Training Counts?Thank you