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
Tuesday 8th September 2026
GMC Fitness to Practise in 2025: More Concerns, but Most Cases Still Closed at Triage
Tuesday 8th September 2026
GMC Fitness to Practise in 2025: More Concerns, but Most Cases Still Closed at Triage
The GMC recorded the largest annual rise in fitness-to-practise concerns for 20 years — but around nine in ten triage decisions were still closed without formal investigation. What do the figures really mean for doctors, appraisal and revalidation?
The General Medical Council has published its latest annual statistics on concerns about doctors’ fitness to practise.
The headline figure is striking: the number of triage decisions increased from 10,769 in 2024 to 13,465 in 2025, a rise of 25%. The GMC says this was the largest year-on-year increase for 20 years. Since 2020, triage decisions have risen by 60%, while the number of doctors on the register increased by 22%.
However, the figures are more reassuring when looked at in context.
A concern reaching the GMC is not the same as a finding that a doctor has done something wrong. It is the start of a process in which the GMC decides whether the issue meets its threshold for regulatory action.
Around 9 in 10 Concerns Were Closed
Of the 13,465 final triage decisions in 2025, 12,146 were closed. A further 291 were referred to an employer or Responsible Officer and closed, while 997 progressed to formal investigation. Thirty-one provisional enquiries were still in progress.
In other words, most concerns did not become formal GMC investigations.
This is important for doctors who are new to UK practice, including many international medical graduates. The regulatory system can appear daunting at first, but a concern being raised does not automatically mean that a doctor’s fitness to practise is in doubt.
What Happens at Triage?
At triage, the GMC considers whether the information relates to fitness to practise, how serious the concern appears to be, whether there is a risk to patients or public confidence, whether the matter may be better handled locally, and whether more information is needed.
The GMC is not making a finding of misconduct at this stage. It is deciding what should happen next.
Many concerns are better dealt with through local complaints procedures, employers or clinical governance processes.
Why Are More Concerns Being Raised?
The GMC does not identify one single cause.
It points to greater public awareness of regulatory routes, easier access to information about how to complain, changes in healthcare delivery, digital access, increasingly complex care pathways and continuing pressure on healthcare services.
It also notes that patients may sometimes be uncertain about where to raise a concern, resulting in matters being sent to the GMC when another organisation would have been better placed to deal with them.
Importantly, the GMC states that an increase in concerns does not in itself indicate a change in professional standards.
More complaints do not necessarily mean that doctors are practising less safely.
Provisional Enquiries
Sometimes the GMC needs more information before deciding whether a full investigation is necessary.
In 2025 there were 554 provisional enquiries. Of these, 467 were closed, 56 progressed to investigation and 31 remained in progress. Again, the majority did not proceed further.
What Happens After a Formal Investigation?
Where a concern meets the regulatory threshold, the GMC may open a formal investigation and gather further evidence.
In 2025 there were 679 Case Examiner decisions. Of these, 309 concluded with no action, 110 resulted in a warning, 60 in undertakings, 16 in advice and 184 in referral to a tribunal.
These figures do not represent one group of doctors moving from complaint to tribunal during the same year. The GMC explains that its annual statistics record decisions made during 2025 rather than following one cohort from beginning to end.
The Role of Local Governance and Appraisal
One of the most useful messages in the report is the emphasis on appropriate local resolution.
Some matters are referred back to employers or Responsible Officers for consideration through local governance or appraisal processes.
Medical appraisal is not a disciplinary process.
Its role is to help doctors review their professional practice, reflect on feedback and complaints, identify learning and demonstrate continuing development.
If a doctor has received a complaint, the useful questions for appraisal are straightforward: What happened? Was there anything to learn? Has practice changed? Has the issue been resolved?
A complaint that has been handled properly can demonstrate insight, reflection and professional development.
A Reassuring Message for IMGs
Doctors who trained overseas can understandably feel anxious about UK regulation simply because the system is unfamiliar.
The key point is that the same professional principles apply to all doctors: engage openly, keep good records, respond professionally, seek advice when needed and reflect on genuine learning points.
A complaint does not define a doctor’s career, and it does not automatically threaten revalidation.
For doctors adapting to UK practice, appraisal can provide a supportive opportunity to understand local expectations, discuss feedback and demonstrate progress.
The GMC’s own figures show why perspective matters: most concerns are closed without formal investigation.
For an IMG who is still becoming familiar with UK systems, an appraisal should therefore be viewed as an opportunity to discuss professional development in a constructive setting, rather than something to fear. Where there has been a complaint or difficulty, demonstrating appropriate reflection and learning is generally much more important than the simple fact that the event occurred.
Conclusion
The 25% rise in GMC triage decisions during 2025 is significant, but the headline should not be read in isolation.
Around nine in ten concerns were closed without progressing to formal investigation, and the GMC itself cautions that rising referral numbers do not necessarily indicate falling professional standards.
For doctors, the practical message is reassuring: take concerns seriously, but do not assume that a complaint automatically means regulatory trouble.
For IMGs and other doctors becoming familiar with UK systems, good appraisal can provide valuable support in understanding expectations, demonstrating learning and continuing confidently in practice.
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