To fulfil its duty to satisfy itself that registered medical practitioners on its register are maintaining their Professional Competence, the Medical Council establishes one or more Schemes and develops Rules and guidelines. The Guidelines define the framework for the maintenance of Professional Competence of registered medical practitioners (the ‘Framework’), standards that bodies must comply with when operating the Schemes, and criteria to receive accreditation from the Medical Council. These tools have been developed to provide consistency and promote effectiveness in the way registered medical practitioners maintain Professional Competence and Schemes are operated
Scheme Operators
The Scheme Operators recognised by the Medical Council are responsible for implementing the Framework, through which registered medical practitioners plan, engage and record their CPD. Scheme Operators have the expertise and knowledge to support registered medical practitioners' maintenance of Professional Competence, deliver the Scheme, and function as providers of accredited education
Employers
The employers, both public and private (including the HSE), facilitate registered medical practitioners to maintain their Professional Competence pursuant to a Scheme applicable to the registered medical practitioners. Employers should consider how they fulfil this responsibility and how best they can support registered medical practitioners on this in collaboration with stakeholders, including Scheme Operators
Registered Medical Practitioners
The Medical Practitioners Act 2007 (section 94) specifies that registered medical practitioners shall maintain their Professional Competence. Registered medical practitioners are responsible for identifying their CPD needs, planning how those needs should be addressed and undertaking CPD that will support their professional development and practice. The Framework provides the model and the annual minimum requirements that must be achieved and recorded to demonstrate maintenance of Professional Competence. While Schemes are established to facilitate a registered medical practitioner's maintenance of Professional Competence, the responsibility for this rests with the registered medical practitioner.
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