UK Medical Appraisals
Independent, GMC-Compliant Medical Appraisals for UK and International Doctors
Fast, supportive, and fully accredited — with no hidden fees. Providing free support and REV12 completion, if you don't have a Designated Body.
Appraisal Fees from £350
1. What can I expect from a Medical Appraisal with UKMA?
You will receive expert guidance and support with your Appraisal preparation.
Your appraisal will be a formal, but relaxed, friendly and supportive meeting, with one of the most experienced Medical Appraisers in the UK. It will be via video link and will last about 1 hour.
Your appraiser will create an environment in which you will feel able to ask questions about the appraisal process and about any concerns you have.
During the meeting, your Appraiser will facilitate discussions and your reflections on the supporting evidence you have provided for your Appraisal. These discussions and reflections will be used to formulate your Personal Development Plan for the subsequent 12 months [your Appraiser will guide you on this].
Following your Appraisal, your Appraiser will complete [finalise] the Appraisal form and complete all sections of the REV12 form. They will then email these completed documents to you, during the 48 hours following your Appraisal.
You then upload these to your online GMC account. Within 14 days, the GMC will then email your Appraiser, to ask them to confirm that they met with you for your Appraisal and that they completed the Appraisal forms. Your Appraiser will confirm this within a few hours and your Appraisal process will then be complete.
Contact UKMA for more information
Your appraisal will be a formal, but relaxed, friendly and supportive meeting, with one of the most experienced Medical Appraisers in the UK. It will be via video link and will last about 1 hour.
Your appraiser will create an environment in which you will feel able to ask questions about the appraisal process and about any concerns you have.
During the meeting, your Appraiser will facilitate discussions and your reflections on the supporting evidence you have provided for your Appraisal. These discussions and reflections will be used to formulate your Personal Development Plan for the subsequent 12 months [your Appraiser will guide you on this].
Following your Appraisal, your Appraiser will complete [finalise] the Appraisal form and complete all sections of the REV12 form. They will then email these completed documents to you, during the 48 hours following your Appraisal.
You then upload these to your online GMC account. Within 14 days, the GMC will then email your Appraiser, to ask them to confirm that they met with you for your Appraisal and that they completed the Appraisal forms. Your Appraiser will confirm this within a few hours and your Appraisal process will then be complete.
Contact UKMA for more information
2. What is Revalidation?
Revalidation is the date that your GMC licence to practise renews. It occurs once every 5 years and it is generally set 5 years after: a] you first registered with the GMC, or b] you completed FY1 training, or c] you completed specialist training.
Contact UKMA for more information
Contact UKMA for more information
3. What is a Medical Appraisal?
UKMA provides the annual process of facilitated self-review, supported by information gathered from the full scope of your work. Your scope of practice is defined by all the types of Medical work you do, inside and or outside of the UK. Looking back over a 5 year Revalidation Cycle, the supporting information should have been gathered predominantly from UK practice. However, for any given 1 year appraisal period, this is not necessary.
There are 6 types of supporting information that are provided for appraisals and that should cover your scope[s] of practice.
1. Continuing professional development (CPD / CME) [try to aim for 50 hours each year - this can include UK-based and non-UK based activities]. The number of hours maybe less than 50, particularly if this is your first appraisal.
There are 6 types of supporting information that are provided for appraisals and that should cover your scope[s] of practice.
1. Continuing professional development (CPD / CME) [try to aim for 50 hours each year - this can include UK-based and non-UK based activities]. The number of hours maybe less than 50, particularly if this is your first appraisal.
2. Any Quality improvement activity [such as audit, case-based discussions, service improvement activities]. UKMA will provide you with templates for these.
3. Any Significant Events that you and or your team were involved in [A Significant Event is an event that did lead, or could have led, to harm].
4, Feedback from patients or those to whom you provide medical services. This needs to be collected at least once within each Revalidation Cycle, but it is not necessary to provide this for each appraisal].
5. Feedback from colleagues [Reference letters / letters of recommendation for each appraisal. These should cover each of your UK and any non-UK scope[s] of practice. Formal multi-source feedback from colleagues needs to be collected at least once within each Revalidation Cycle, but it is not necessary to provide this for each appraisal.
6. Any Compliments and complaints that you and or your team were involved in.
Contact UKMA for more information
Contact UKMA for more information
4. What is an Annual Return?
An Annual Return is the process by which doctors, who do not have a Designated Body, make a direct submission to the GMC. It comprises an Annual Appraisal [with an Appraisal form + a REV 12 form, completed by your Appraiser] + completion of certain documents on your GMC platform account, such as the REV11 form.
Please note, NHS England has discontinued the use of the MAG4 appraisal form, and it should no longer be used for appraisals. UKMA will provide you with an alternative, that is fully compliant with updated NHS England and GMC requirements.
Contact UKMA for more information
Please note, NHS England has discontinued the use of the MAG4 appraisal form, and it should no longer be used for appraisals. UKMA will provide you with an alternative, that is fully compliant with updated NHS England and GMC requirements.
Contact UKMA for more information
5. Does UKMA facilitate Appraisals for International Medical Graduates (IMGs) ?
The answer is yes, of course. We recognise the huge contribution that IMGs make to UK Medical Practice.
There are five common scenarios in which IMGs have an appraisal with the UK Medical Appraisals:
1. The IMG is working in paid clinical practice, both within the UK and outside of the UK
2. The IMG is working in paid clinical practice, outside of the UK, whilst they are actively applying for paid clinical work and or a Clinical Attachment / Observership, in the UK
3. The IMG is working in paid clinical practice, within the UK
4. The IMG is undertaking, or has recently undertaken, a Clinical Attachment / Observership in the UK, but is not in paid clinical work. However, they are actively applying for paid clinical work in the UK
5. The IMG has been on a career break / maternity leave and is actively applying for paid clinical work and or a Clinical Attachment / Observership, in the UK
Contact UKMA for more information
There are five common scenarios in which IMGs have an appraisal with the UK Medical Appraisals:
1. The IMG is working in paid clinical practice, both within the UK and outside of the UK
2. The IMG is working in paid clinical practice, outside of the UK, whilst they are actively applying for paid clinical work and or a Clinical Attachment / Observership, in the UK
3. The IMG is working in paid clinical practice, within the UK
4. The IMG is undertaking, or has recently undertaken, a Clinical Attachment / Observership in the UK, but is not in paid clinical work. However, they are actively applying for paid clinical work in the UK
5. The IMG has been on a career break / maternity leave and is actively applying for paid clinical work and or a Clinical Attachment / Observership, in the UK
Contact UKMA for more information
6. What Other Resources Does UKMA provide?
A certified course on Quality Improvement Activities for Doctors [3 CPD points] - free for all Doctors having an appraisal with UKMA
A comprehensive CPD Directory - free for all Doctors having an appraisal with UKMA
A Clinical Attachment Guide for IMGs, which includes a list of hospitals that provide Clinical Attachments - free for all Doctors having an appraisal with UKMA
A State of the Art Case Based Discussion Template - free for all Doctors having an appraisal with UKMA
A State of the Art Reference letter Template - free for all Doctors having an appraisal with UKMA
Contact UKMA for more information
A comprehensive CPD Directory - free for all Doctors having an appraisal with UKMA
A Clinical Attachment Guide for IMGs, which includes a list of hospitals that provide Clinical Attachments - free for all Doctors having an appraisal with UKMA
A State of the Art Case Based Discussion Template - free for all Doctors having an appraisal with UKMA
A State of the Art Reference letter Template - free for all Doctors having an appraisal with UKMA
Contact UKMA for more information
►Hot Topic of the Week
Thursday 20th August 2026
Thursday 20th August 2026
Can Doctors Use AI to Write Clinical Notes? What the New 2026 NHS and MHRA Guidance Means
Artificial intelligence is beginning to change clinical documentation.
AI-enabled “ambient scribes” can listen to a consultation, convert speech into text and generate a draft clinical note, referral letter or discharge summary.
In July 2026, NHS England updated its guidance on the safe use of these systems, while the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) published separate guidance on when an ambient voice product is, or is not, a regulated medical device.
These are different issues.
NHS England focuses on how NHS organisations should introduce and use AI scribes safely. The MHRA focuses on the regulatory status of the software itself.
What NHS England Says
NHS England’s guidance applies to health and care settings in England adopting AI-enabled ambient scribing products.
Importantly, it says the guidance is not intended for individuals using tools outside the supervision of their organisation, including unauthorised applications.
For doctors, the practical starting point is simple:
Use the AI system approved by your organisation, not whatever general-purpose AI tool happens to be available.
NHS England expects organisations to address clinical safety, information governance, cybersecurity, integration with electronic patient records, staff training and monitoring. It also recommends a Data Protection Impact Assessment and formal clinical-safety processes, including DCB0160 documentation.
AI-Generated Notes Must Be Checked
NHS England says users should review and approve product outputs before further action is taken.
AI may omit information, misunderstand context, confuse speakers or turn uncertainty into an apparently definite diagnosis. NHS England also highlights “automation bias” — placing too much trust in a polished computer-generated output.
An AI-generated note should therefore be treated as a draft.
The clinician must review it, correct errors and ensure the final record accurately reflects the consultation. That also accords with GMC requirements that patient records are clear, accurate, contemporaneous and legible.
Patients, Confidentiality and Consent
Ambient scribing may involve processing an entire clinical conversation.
NHS England therefore expects organisations to consider where data are processed and stored, how long recordings and transcripts are retained, who can access them, the lawful basis for processing and whether patient consent is required.
Doctors should follow their organisation’s approved information-governance and patient-information procedures.
What the MHRA Says
The MHRA’s guidance addresses a different question:
When does an AI scribe become a medical device?
Its guidance applies to medical devices placed on the market or put into service in Great Britain. The answer depends mainly on the product’s intended purpose.
An AI system intended only to transcribe a consultation for clinician review is not a medical device.
A system that summarises the consultation for the doctor to check and edit is also not a medical device if it merely documents what was discussed and does not generate new clinical recommendations.
Software may also remain outside medical-device regulation if it structures existing information, suggests clinical codes based on terms explicitly mentioned, or drafts a discharge summary or letter for clinician review.
In simple terms:
“This is what was said” = usually documentation.
When AI Starts Making Clinical Suggestions
The regulatory position changes if the system goes beyond documentation and produces new clinical insights.
The MHRA gives the example of a product offering “generated insights” that suggest diagnoses, follow-up or treatment options. Such a product may have a medical intended purpose and therefore be a regulated medical device.
So:
“This is what I think the diagnosis or treatment should be” = potentially a medical device.
The fact that software is used in a hospital or GP surgery does not itself make it a medical device. Equally, a disclaimer such as “not for diagnosis” will not necessarily prevent regulation if the manufacturer makes medical claims elsewhere.
A product initially introduced as an administrative scribe may also later acquire diagnostic or treatment-support features, potentially changing its regulatory status.
What Should Doctors Do?
For most clinicians, the combined message can be reduced to five rules:
a] Use only AI systems authorised by your organisation.
b] Follow local patient-information, consent and confidentiality procedures.
c] Treat every AI-generated clinical note as a draft.
d] Check and correct the output before it becomes part of the medical record.
e] Be especially cautious when AI moves from documentation into diagnosis, treatment or clinical recommendation.
Conclusion
The 2026 guidance becomes much clearer once the roles of the two organisations are separated.
NHS England tells NHS organisations in England how ambient scribing should be introduced and used safely: governance, confidentiality, clinical safety, staff training, monitoring and human review.
The MHRA addresses whether the software itself is a regulated medical device in Great Britain, depending on its intended purpose and functionality.
For doctors, the central message is straightforward:
AI may help write the clinical note, but the doctor must still check it.
Once AI moves from recording what was said to suggesting what the diagnosis or treatment should be, a different level of regulatory scrutiny may apply.
The technology may change.
Professional accountability does not.
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