GMC Appraisal Supporting Information Checklist

GMC appraisal supporting information is the evidence you gather, reflect on and discuss at your annual appraisal so that your responsible officer can make a revalidation recommendation. According to the General Medical Council (GMC), you need six types: continuing professional development (CPD), quality improvement activity, significant events, patient feedback, colleague feedback, and compliments and complaints. You also need a probity statement, a health statement and a clear description of your scope of practice. This post is a practical checklist for pulling it together. For the wider picture of how appraisal fits into the licence cycle, see our guide to GMC revalidation requirements for UK doctors.

The details below are drawn from the GMC's online guidance on supporting information for revalidation, as checked in October 2026. Your Royal College, employer or designated body may add local expectations, so treat this as the regulator's baseline rather than the whole story.

The principles behind the checklist

Before you start collecting, it helps to know how the GMC frames the task. Three principles shape everything else.

• Collect, reflect, discuss. The GMC states that ongoing reflection is central to revalidation and that you will not meet its requirements by simply collecting the required information. A folder of certificates on its own is not enough.
• Quality, not quantity. The GMC says it does not set a minimum or maximum quantity of supporting information. It advises against collecting multiple examples that demonstrate reflection and learning of the same skills.
• Whole scope of practice. You must declare and collect information covering all the places you have worked and the roles you have carried out since your last appraisal. That includes clinical and non-clinical work, and NHS, independent, voluntary and private roles.

The GMC also uses "must" for an overriding requirement and "should" where a requirement may not apply in every circumstance. If you cannot meet a "should", you need to be able to explain why to your responsible officer or appraiser and agree next steps.

The GMC appraisal supporting information checklist

Use this as a working list. Each item shows what the GMC expects and how often.

1. Continuing professional development

• Carry out CPD every year, based on your day-to-day work and covering the whole of your practice.
• Include your learning needs and CPD plans in your personal development plan (PDP) for the coming year.
• Reflect on what you learned and how it helped maintain or improve the quality of your practice.
• Do not chase a number: the GMC states that it does not mandate a number of CPD points for revalidation.

2. Quality improvement activity

• Take part in quality improvement (QI) activity relevant to your scope of practice at least once in each revalidation cycle.
• Agree the type, amount and frequency of activity with your responsible officer (or suitable person), as the GMC requires.
• Examples the GMC gives include clinical audit, case review or discussion with a peer or multidisciplinary team, learning event analysis, and benchmarking your practice against robust data.
• Reflect on how the activity relates to your work, how you evaluated the results, what action you took, and whether improvement occurred. A re-audit after a period of time is the ideal where possible.

3. Significant events

• Declare and reflect on every significant event and serious incident you were involved in since your last appraisal.
• Focus the discussion on events that led to a change in practice or show your insight and learning, and be ready to explain why you chose them.
• If you have had none, say so, then reflect on your local process or on what you do well to reduce risk.
• Log events through your organisation's reporting process, in line with your duty of candour.

4. Patient feedback

• Collect formal feedback from patients (or those you provide medical services to) at least once in each revalidation cycle.
• Reflect on informal or unsolicited feedback at each annual appraisal.
• Use a method that suits your setting. The GMC lists structured questionnaires, structured interviews, focus groups and formal comment cards.
• Tell patients that their feedback will be confidential or anonymous and that they do not have to take part.
• Reflect on feedback covering your whole scope of practice across the cycle, and act on it in a timely way where appropriate.

5. Colleague feedback

• Collect, reflect on and discuss colleague feedback at least once in each revalidation cycle.
• Choose colleagues impartially, from across your whole scope of practice and from a range of roles, including people who are not doctors.
• Where possible, use validated questionnaires that are independently administered, and keep feedback anonymous.
• Compare your own self-assessment with what colleagues said.

6. Compliments and complaints

• Declare and reflect on all formal complaints about you or your practice since your last appraisal.
• You do not have to discuss every item in depth. Focus on those that show your insight and learning, and be able to explain your choices.
• Collect compliments too. If none name you personally, you can reflect on relevant local complaints or compliments that changed or confirmed your practice.

7. Probity, health and practice details

• Make a probity statement. The GMC says appraisal is the place to discuss matters such as insurance or indemnity and managing conflicts of interest.
• Make a health statement, and consider whether you have appropriate support in place.
• Include your personal details and GMC reference number, the organisations where you have worked and your roles, and a description of the scope and nature of your practice.
• Include your previous PDPs and their reviews, plus a record of your appraisals.

Quick reference: how often each item is needed

Even where an item is needed only once per cycle, it is wise to plan it early rather than in the final year, so you have time to act on what it tells you.

Practical tips for building your portfolio

• Log as you go. Write a few lines of reflection soon after a learning event, audit or complaint. The GMC notes that reflective notes should not capture the full details of an experience, so concentrate on what you learned and what you will do differently. Keep patient-identifiable detail out.
• Map your evidence to your roles. If you work across several organisations, check each role is represented. If you are unsure how much to collect from each, the GMC advises discussing it with your responsible officer.
• Pick your best examples. A small number of meaningful items with clear reflection beats a large pile of similar ones.
• Keep your CPD records tidy. Certificates, reflections and PDP reviews are easier to find if you file them as you go. Our post on preparing CPD records for an audit covers record-keeping habits that translate well to appraisal.
• Check specialty guidance. The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges has published a framework on supporting information for appraisal and revalidation that Colleges and Faculties can adapt, so your own College may add specialty-specific advice.

Frequently asked questions

How much supporting information do I need to bring?

The GMC does not set a minimum or maximum quantity. It asks for evidence that covers your whole scope of practice and shows reflection, and it advises against multiple examples that show the same learning.

Do I need to collect everything every year?

No. CPD is carried out every year and significant events and complaints are reflected on at each appraisal, but quality improvement activity, formal patient feedback and colleague feedback are required at least once in each revalidation cycle, according to the GMC.

What if I have had no complaints or significant events?

Say so at your appraisal. For significant events, the GMC advises reflecting on your local process or on what you do well to reduce risk. For complaints and compliments, you can reflect on other relevant local examples that changed or confirmed your practice.

Does this apply to doctors in training?

The GMC says the Annual Review of Competency Progression (ARCP) process takes revalidation requirements into account. You must still collect supporting information for any medical practice outside your training posts, including locum work.

Is a stack of CPD certificates enough?

No. The GMC says you will not meet its requirements by simply collecting information. You must reflect on what you learned and how it affected your practice.

Putting it together

A good appraisal file is selective, honest and reflective, not exhaustive. Work through the checklist above, plan the once-per-cycle items early, and keep notes as you go. If you want a place to find and log accredited learning, our CPD hub is a good starting point. Always confirm your specific requirements with your responsible officer and the GMC's current guidance before your next appraisal.