Confirm the connection determined by the rules, keep GMC Online up to date and establish the appraisal arrangements with the relevant organisation. You cannot simply choose a convenient responsible officer.
By the end of this module, you should be able to:
- Identify and resolve a connection uncertainty.
- Distinguish national information portals from your responsible officer.
- Plan continuity when employment changes.
A connection is determined, not selected
GMC: connection help tool ↗
UK · Relevant requirements and explanatory sections · Substantive check: 2026-09-09. Reviewed for the specific appraisal teaching; not certification of every linked statement.
Use the GMC connection help tool and the organisation’s appraisal team to establish the appropriate designated body. Working for more than one organisation can make the position less obvious. The amount of work alone is not a safe substitute for applying the rules. Keep the connection details in GMC Online current when employment or other relevant circumstances change.
Imagine a doctor with a substantive post and occasional agency shifts. The agency may offer appraisal services, but availability does not establish that it is the correct designated body. List the forms of employment and contracts, ask for the basis of the connection, and resolve conflicting advice with the relevant responsible officers or GMC. Do not pay for an alternative appraisal merely to avoid clarifying the connection.
If no responsible officer or suitable person is confirmed
GMC: additional requirements without a connection ↗
UK · Relevant requirements and explanatory sections · Substantive check: 2026-09-09. Reviewed for the specific appraisal teaching; not certification of every linked statement.
Tell the GMC if you do not have a connection. Doctors without a responsible officer or suitable person have additional requirements, including an annual return and an appropriately arranged appraisal, and may be asked to undertake a revalidation assessment. A suitable person needs GMC approval; an informal promise by a mentor is insufficient.
The practical priority is to obtain the correct instructions before commissioning an appraisal. Ask what appraiser criteria apply, what evidence is required and which dates control your situation. Keep a record of the correspondence and follow up unanswered questions. An educational website cannot nominate a suitable person, approve an appraiser or remove the obligations associated with retaining a licence.
England and Wales: establish the local pathway
HEIW: appraisal and revalidation in Wales ↗
Wales · Relevant requirements and explanatory sections · Substantive check: 2026-09-09. Reviewed for the specific appraisal teaching; not certification of every linked statement.
In England, begin with your designated body’s appraisal office and responsible officer; NHS England publishes professional-standards and appraisal resources, but one software product is not mandated for every doctor. In Wales, HEIW provides MARS and related revalidation information. Hospital and community doctors should use the relevant medical route, while the separate GP route is identified on the MARS site.
Before entering material, confirm that the account belongs to the appropriate organisation, that the appraisal year is correct and that you know who can see the submission. If you move into Wales, do not assume that an old portal transfers information automatically. Agree what outputs need to move, how they will be sent securely and when access to the old account will end.
Scotland and Northern Ireland: avoid importing another nation’s process
Medical Appraisal Scotland: SAS doctor resources ↗
Scotland · Relevant requirements and explanatory sections · Substantive check: 2026-09-09. Reviewed for the specific appraisal teaching; not certification of every linked statement.
Department of Health NI and GMC: whole-practice appraisal and governance ↗
Northern Ireland · Relevant requirements and explanatory sections · Substantive check: 2026-09-09. Reviewed for the specific appraisal teaching; not certification of every linked statement.
Medical Appraisal Scotland provides SOAR and dedicated SAS resources. In Northern Ireland, the Department of Health and GMC place whole-practice appraisal within the employing organisation’s wider governance arrangements. For a hospital SAS or LED post, confirm the process with the HSC trust’s medical appraisal team; a GP appraisal service should not be assumed to administer hospital doctors.
The national resource tells you where to begin, while the local team confirms practical arrangements: allocation of an appraiser, access, submission procedures and governance information. A doctor moving between nations should explicitly reconcile the previous appraisal output, current development plan and revalidation date. A change of platform does not erase the earlier professional history.
Arrange a proper handover when work changes
GMC: revalidation requirements for doctors ↗
UK · Relevant requirements and explanatory sections · Substantive check: 2026-09-09. Reviewed for the specific appraisal teaching; not certification of every linked statement.
Before leaving an organisation, identify the records you will need lawful access to later: appraisal outputs, the development plan, relevant governance summaries and agreed follow-up actions. Ask how the previous and new responsible officers exchange information. Use approved transfer arrangements, not a personal copy of a shared clinical drive. Keep originals and their audit trails intact.
A useful handover note is an index: period covered, last appraisal date, outstanding actions, contact for governance information and the agreed destination of records. It should not become a new unofficial case database. If records are unavailable, explain the gap and document attempts to resolve it. Reconstructing evidence transparently is different from pretending that an earlier process occurred.
Escalate an administrative gap before it becomes a regulatory problem
An account-access problem, absent appraiser or unclear connection requires active follow-up. Record the request, the date, the response and the next agreed action. If the appraisal team cannot resolve it, contact the appraisal lead or responsible officer. Where the connection itself remains unclear, use the GMC route. Continue preparing the information you can lawfully assemble.
Avoid both extremes: assuming that silence means the deadline no longer applies, or escalating every software inconvenience as a formal dispute. State the practical impact and the help needed. For example: “I cannot access my previous output; please confirm the approved transfer route and whether this affects the planned meeting.” Clear requests are easier to resolve and leave a useful record of engagement.
If your main employment ended tomorrow, what would happen to your connection and appraisal records?
Three takeaways
- 1Use the connection rules and confirm uncertainty.
- 2National systems do not replace local accountability.
- 3Plan record access before a move.
Check your understanding
Six questions on Your designated body, responsible officer and national appraisal route test process and practical judgement. This is educational: it does not assess your health, evidence sufficiency or decide a legal issue.
Recommended workbooks
Use neutral planning notes and keep completed workbooks on a trusted device. Do not enter identifiable cases or confidential material.
Official and professional guidance
Confirm current GMC requirements and the approved arrangements for your designated body and nation.