With revalidation upon us now, we don't just need to be up to date, but we need to prove it. So what is required of us and what sort of documentation do we need to gather so we are prepared?

Additional guidance has just been published and we've set out below the key elements. Please also have a look at The GP Update Revalidation Action Pack. This is available as a free download for all GPs and gives step by step practical advice to help you get (and maximize) your CPD credits - see below.

Under the revalidation system, GPs will need to show they are continuing their professional development by earning CPD credits. Fifty credits will need to be earned each year, and 250 over a five year period from one revalidation to the next. Earning less than 50 credits in any one year is only acceptable in what the RCGP call 'exceptional circumstances', eg. maternity leave.

Credits relate to time spent learning, so 1 credit =1 hour, but if you can show that your learning has had an impact on the care you offer, you can double the credits earned by applying the 'impact factor'.

All credits are self-assessed and then verified by your appraiser. Courses, such as The GP Update course, will not be accredited by an organization, such as the RCGP, but time spent on the course will earn you credits.

Credits need to be spread across a range of different learning activities (audit, reflection) and cover a range of topics, not just focus on a single clinical topic.

For those who have been on our courses we have also developed a Revalidation Action Pack which offers you step by step guidance on activities related to material in The GP Update Handbook. The Revalidation Action Pack covers a range of different topics, using a variety of activities, as required for revalidation. We have also given you an idea of how many credits each activity should earn, and because all the activities are designed to show impact on your practice, all credits earned qualify for the impact factor, and can therefore be doubled.

To access The GP Update Revalidation Action Pack and for more detailed information on:

• what you have to do to achieve credits
• what the impact factor means in practice, and example of how it works
• what you need to record in order to gain your credits
• what doesn't qualify for credits

Please click here.

This information is based on:

The RCGP Guide to Revalidation of General Practitioners (version 3.0, January 2010)

RCGP Guide to the Credit-Based system for CPD (version 2.0, January 2010).