Locum GP appraisal: the quick answer
Your locum GP appraisal follows the same GMC framework as any other GP appraisal. You need the same six types of supporting information, the same feedback and the same five-year revalidation cycle. What is harder is the logistics. As a locum or sessional GP you must describe your whole scope of practice across every setting. You also need to know which organisation is your designated body, and so who your responsible officer is. Then you gather feedback and evidence from practices where you may only work occasionally. Start a running log from your first session of the year, because reconstructing a year of locum work from memory is hard.
Your designated body for a locum GP appraisal
Every licensed GP must have a link, called a prescribed connection, to a designated body. That body appoints the responsible officer who oversees your appraisal and makes your revalidation recommendation. For salaried and partner GPs this is straightforward. For locums it is the question that causes the most confusion.
| Your situation | Where your prescribed connection usually sits | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| You are not on a GP performers list and you contract with a locum agency that is itself a designated body | That agency | Confirm with them; they should support your appraisal |
| You are on a GP performers list and locum across NHS practices | Through your performers list, which takes precedence. In England, usually the NHS England region where you do most sessions | Use the region where you do the majority of your locum sessions (in England, set this on PCSE Online); check the GMC connection tool |
| You have no designated body at all | Seek a connection through the GMC’s guidance (for example a suitable person, or an accredited fee-charging appraisal provider) | Use the GMC connection tool and resolve it early, not near your revalidation date |
Sources: GMC, find your connection for revalidation (connection tool); RCGP, navigating the appraisal process as a locum GP; RCGP, your appraiser and designated body; Responsible Officer Regulations 2010, Schedule (which lists certain locum agencies as designated bodies) and regulation 10 (a performers list connection takes precedence). The GMC connection tool is the authoritative answer for your own circumstances; if you are unsure, contact your regional appraisal office.
Cover your whole scope of practice
The GMC requires your portfolio to describe the whole scope of your practice, not just your main role. For a portfolio GP that can be a long list. It might include NHS surgeries, out-of-hours, a prison or community service, or a private clinic. Add any appraisal or teaching work, and special interests such as coil fitting or minor surgery. Your supporting information should show how you keep up to date across all of it. That includes anything outside core general practice or the NHS. A clear scope-of-practice description is the backbone of a strong locum GP appraisal.
The RCGP suggests locum-friendly CPD such as reading the BJGP, RCGP online learning modules, webinars and podcasts. Joining a sessional GP peer group that meets regularly also counts. The point is not the format; it is that your learning maps onto everything you actually do. For the full breakdown of the six types of supporting information, see our guide to what evidence you need for your GP appraisal.
Keep a running log for your locum GP appraisal
The single most useful habit for a locum is a simple, contemporaneous log. Each time you work, note the site, the dates, anything that prompted learning, and any significant event or compliment you were involved in. It takes seconds and it turns appraisal preparation from an archaeology project into a review. A log also underpins your scope-of-practice description and your quality improvement activity, because it shows the pattern of your work across the year. If a deadline is already looming, see what to do if you have missed a GP appraisal deadline.
Locum GP appraisal feedback: PSQ and MSF when you move around
You still need one formal patient feedback exercise and one formal colleague feedback exercise in each five-year cycle. Collecting them as a locum takes planning:
- Patient survey (PSQ): run it during a block at a practice where you work regularly enough to see a run of patients. If you genuinely struggle to get responses because of how you work, contact your responsible officer. The RCGP says they may be able to approve a survey with fewer responses.
- Colleague feedback (MSF): most of your responders should be clinical colleagues you work with, or have worked with recently. Line up a mix from the practices where you are a familiar face, rather than leaving it to the last month.
GP Tools includes a GMC-compliant PSQ and MSF at no extra cost, which removes the tooling problem. The responses are yours to keep, wherever you work.
Quality improvement and significant events across sites
You need at least one quality improvement activity relevant to your GP role in each five-year cycle. The RCGP recommends showing one each year. As a locum, workable options include an audit of your referrals or prescribing. You could also review outcomes from a procedure you perform, such as coil fitting or minor surgery. Reflecting on a set of case discussions, or revising a patient leaflet or practice policy, also works.
For significant events, take part in the reporting process at each practice you work in. Declare and reflect on any event you were personally named in or involved with. Because you move between systems, learn each practice’s reporting route early rather than in the moment.
Locum GP appraisal: frequently asked questions
Do locum GPs need to revalidate like everyone else?
Yes. Revalidation applies to every licensed GP regardless of contract type. The requirements are identical; only the logistics of collecting evidence differ.
Who is my responsible officer if I have no regular practice?
Your responsible officer sits within your designated body. If you have no obvious designated body, use the GMC connection tool to find your connection. Resolve it well before your revalidation date.
How do I get a patient survey done if I move around?
Run your PSQ during a stretch at a practice where you see enough patients to gather responses. If your pattern of work makes this genuinely difficult, contact your responsible officer. The RCGP says they may be able to approve a survey with fewer responses.
Can I use significant events from practices where I only did a few sessions?
Yes. Any significant event you were personally involved in counts, wherever it happened. Reflect on the learning and any change in your practice or a system, not just the event itself.
What if I do very little clinical work?
Low volumes of clinical work do not exempt you from revalidation. The RCGP mythbusters confirm there is no GMC minimum number of sessions for revalidation. For every role, however small, show how you keep up to date, review your practice and respond to feedback. The RCGP suggests the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges factors for consideration template to structure this; raise it with your appraiser early.
GP Tools is an appraisal and revalidation portfolio built for how GPs actually work, including locums and sessional GPs. The patient survey (PSQ) and MSF 360 colleague feedback are included free, and your data is yours to keep. Every doctor’s first 12 months are free. Register at gptools.org.