Presenting your evidence
For advice on what to include, please read the guidance below.
- Number all pages in your portfolio. Create an index page and list each item of evidence you are submitting.
- If you are not submitting evidence in one of the given areas, for example Teamwork and Communication, you can add a note about this area of practice to your index page.
- Place your index and numbered documents in the correct order.
Your supporting evidence needs to be authenticated with a statement given by a clinician. You may ask a general practitioner colleague to provide a statement or another doctor who can attest to the authenticity of your documents. The clinician must provide a signed statement confirming:
- they have read your application and your supporting evidence
- they believe them to be true and accurate
They must include their full name, contact details and registration number with their licensing body or regulator. We may need to contact the clinician who has provided the statement. We will send you our template for the clinician's statement.
- Do not send original documents by post. Please scan your documents into a single PDF which can be shared via OneDrive or emailed to gpsa@rcgp.org.uk. It is easier for us to consider the portfolio as a single PDF but you can upload, send or share more than one file. If you are emailing your portfolio, note that our system accepts attachments of up to 15MB only.
- As a general guide, you should not have more than 200 pages of evidence.
- Please keep in mind the quality of your supporting evidence, its legibility and whether the evidence is relevant. For help and advice, contact gpsa@rcgp.org.uk.
How to send your application and upload your portfolio
The GP National Recruitment Office will send you details of the RCGP application form to be completed and submitted online.
After we have checked your application form, we will send you templates for some of the items in the portfolio. We will explain how you can share or send your portfolio of evidence when it is ready. You will need to:
- Scan your supporting evidence and index page into a single PDF (more than one PDF is also acceptable).
- Scan your record of entry in the GMC Register or other evidence to show your current registration status in the UK.
- Scan your clinician's statement.
- Submit a PDF of all the above via OneDrive or send it in an email to gpsa@rcgp.org.uk. Our email system allows email attachments of up to 15MB.
We will write to you again to let you know that we have received your portfolio.
Application
| 1. Completed application form | Complete and sign the online application form via the link. The GP National Recruitment Office will send you the link. |
| 2. Evidence of full registration with the General Medical Council (GMC) with a licence to practice | Provide evidence that you are currently fully registered with a licence to practise or that you have applied to the GMC to restore your licence. If you have given up your registration altogether (both your registration and licence to practise) you should provide evidence of your registration status in the country where you practise currently. We will assess your registration status before issuing a decision. |
3. Supporting evidence | Please refer to our list of suggested evidence and how to present it, considering what is mandatory to present and what is suggested. |
4. Clinician's statement | Your evidence needs to be supported by a clinician's statement. We will send you our template for this. |
The portfolio: evidence to support your application
The evidence to support your application needs to show that you are keeping up your skills as a general practitioner, including your knowledge of NHS systems and practice. Focus your evidence on the work you have done overseas in the last five years and how it compares with general practice in the UK.
Your evidence must be anonymised. Please remove all patient identifying details and details of colleagues involved in a complaint you may have submitted.
The following is a list of suggested evidence which you should use as a guide only.
Some items are marked (E) to denote they are essential, you must provide these for your application to be successful. You should consider providing a selection of other items from the list, or you may have alternatives which you consider relevant.
If you need advice, or have questions about any aspect of your supporting evidence, please contact gpsa@rcgp.org.uk.
Your professional experience
A full and current Curriculum Vitae (E)
The information in your CV must match the information in your application form. Please give the precise dates of posts held (dd mm yyyy) and where part time, the percentage of whole time. If you have had breaks in employment of more than two months, please provide a brief explanation.
Letter of introduction or personal statement (E)
Describe your professional experience to date and your plans for the future. You should also mention the learning, reading and research you have done in anticipation of your return to practice in the UK.
A summary of your professional experience in the last five years (E)
Please provide a summary of your clinical work in the last five years, the dates of your employment (dd mm yyyy) and a short description of your duties for each post.
A log of patients seen over at least one month in your current or most recent general practice post (E)
A one-month patient log will provide a snapshot of your caseload and show the breadth of your practice. It should record the age, sex and diagnosis of patients you have seen consecutively over a typical month in your current or recent posts.
Case studies (E)
Please provide three clinical case studies of interesting cases you have seen recently in general practice while working overseas. These should be reflective, rather than purely descriptive, and should include learning points. You may want to consider how your management might have been different had you seen the patient in practice in the UK. Patient details must be anonymised.
Continuing professional development
Evidence of keeping up to date with the general practice context of the UK, particularly clinical guidelines, prescribing and medico-legal matters (E)
We suggest that you submit certificates of online learning modules you have completed on these topics and a short statement, reflecting on your learning.
Evidence of other learning and other CPD activities with your reflection on them (E)
Please provide details of your CPD over the last 12 months. Try to include a range of activities, particularly learning that is transferable into UK general practice. Please provide reflections on the learning gained from a course or educational session and consider the impact on your clinical practice. You might include a brief reflection on each learning activity completed in the last 12 months or alternatively, select 6-8 activities for detailed reflection. Please also include your course certificates.
Personal development plan for the current year (E)
A personal development plan (PDP) should describe your objectives or goals for the year and why you have set them for yourself. It should include target dates for completing each objective.
Clinical governance activities
Service development and quality improvement (E)
Please provide a statement about your contribution to service development and quality improvement in the practices in which you have worked in the last two years. Examples of protocols you have developed, and evidence of new processes which you have introduced, will help to support your statement.
Significant event analyses (SEA) (E) and patient complaints (E)
Examples of SEA that have influenced your practice will help to show your continued involvement in clinical governance and patient safety activities. Around three recorded examples are sufficient and where possible, should include a recent complaint. We are interested in how you have reflected upon and responded to significant events and the changes that resulted from them. Your reflection should relate both to your personal involvement and as part of the wider healthcare team.
We are also interested in how you manage and respond to complaints. If a complaint named you in person, this is helpful and will not adversely affect your application. Please provide a copy of the letter of complaint and your response if available. A brief description of the background to the complaint would be useful but we are particularly interested in your reflections on what happened and how you chose to respond. If you have never received a complaint, please reflect on one against a colleague. Alternatively, you could discuss how you would respond to a hypothetical complaint. Please remember that patient and colleague details must be anonymised.
Clinical audit
Please provide a statement about your recent audit work, supported by an audit report if available. If you haven't completed an audit since you left NHS practice, please describe any other reviews of your practice or quality improvement activities. NHS England has produced a short information pack for practices, An Introduction to Quality Improvement in General Practice.
Teamwork and Communication
Case studies of clinical cases involving teamwork
Case studies can be used to show effective teamwork in general practice. We suggest two case studies from your current or most recent work in general practice. Reports and correspondence with other agencies (for example, social workers, aged care services) in relation to the cases described can provide useful evidence. Patient details must be anonymised.
Multi-source feedback (MSF)
MSF can be used to demonstrate effective team work. Consider including the results of one recent MSF. A colleague questionnaire is available to download from the GMC website.
Patient satisfaction questionnaires (PSQ)
A patient satisfaction survey can be included and should not be more than two years old. A template patient satisfaction questionnaire (PDF file, 175 KB) can be downloaded from our website. Guidance on collecting feedback and information to give patients are available on the GMC website.
Referral letters and responses
Referral letters and the response received will help to show the types of patients and problems you see regularly, and how they are managed. We suggest three anonymised examples and, where possible, the response received in a range of conditions from your current or most recent general practice post.
Appraisals and assessments
Appraisal
If available, please provide evidence of ongoing evaluation of your performance. If through a formal system of appraisal, please provide your last appraisal document signed by your supervisor. While not marked as essential, this item is strongly advised and will strengthen your application.
Testimonials and letters of support from patients and colleagues
Letters of support and testimonials can be included if you wish, particularly if they describe your experience as a general practitioner. We suggest a maximum of six letters. Patient details must be anonymised.
Letter of good standing
A letter of good standing from the regulatory authority you are registered with as a medical practitioner which should be dated within the last six months. In some instances, it may be necessary to have your Letter of Good Standing sent directly to the GMC.
- As a general guide, we expect your supporting evidence to be under 200 pages.
- Make sure you have included all the essential items, marked (E).
- Patient identifying details must be anonymised.
- Please anonymise colleagues' details in a complaint you may have submitted.
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