The era of professional self regulation in medicine is over. In 2006, it was recognised in the UK Chief Medical Officer's report, 'Good doctors, Safer patients,' that an enhanced system of quality assurance and performance management of doctors was required, not only for the profession but to protect the safety of patients. From this developed a proposal for five-yearly revalidation of doctors, which is to have two elements, relicensing and recertification. The former, relicensing, began in November 2009. Doctors in the UK are required to hold a licence to practise, which sits alongside their General Medical Council (GMC) registration. Licensure is required by all doctors currently undertaking those professional activities that were previously restricted by law to doctors registered with the GMC. Relicensing is the process set up to demonstrate that doctors are practising in accordance with generic standards of practice broadly based upon the guidance provided by the GMC in Good Medical Practice.
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