New government proposals will require all health professionals in the UK to undergo tests to prove they are "fit to practice" every five years.
Entitled 'Trust, Assurance and Safety - The Regulation of Health Professionals in the 21st Century' the aim of the white paper is to improve patient safety, ensure the fair treatment of health professionals and instil patient, public and professional confidence in the health professionals' watchdogs.
Main proposals of the paper include the periodic testing of health professionals, more rigorous reference and qualification checks during the recruitment process and the introduction of a system of regional bodies affiliated to the General Medical Council (GMC), to provide support for local employers when they have concerns about doctors.
Alastair Henderson, deputy director of NHS Employers, told Personneltoday: "Crucially, the White Paper properly recognises the importance of local employers in professional regulation and gives them new responsibilities to ensure the continuing competency of their staff.
"There is no doubt that this increased responsibility will present challenges for some organisations in terms of capacity and resource, but we will start working with them as early as possible to ensure that they have the processes in place to support the additional work that this brings."
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