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The Approved Practice Setting - APS scheme requires all UK and international medical graduates who are new to full registration, and all those applying for restoration after a significant break in practice, to work with appropriate supervision and appraisal arrangements (or assessments).

We recognise all designated bodies – the organisations that support doctors with their appraisal and revalidation – as approved practice settings for doctors who are connected to them. Most licensed doctors will have a connection to a designated body.

You will be meeting the APS requirement as long as you hold and maintain your connection to a designated body. This does not mean you are restricted to working physically only in that organisation. You can work in any organisation as long as you hold and maintain a connection to a designated body.

Your connection to a designated body means you are:

• meeting the approved practice setting requirement
• supported with appraisal and revalidation

working in an environment that monitors and supports you in delivering quality care, regardless of how or where you practise in the UK.

Doctors on a UK training programme who want to practise outside their substantive employment (for example as a locum doctor) may do so, but must ensure their educational supervisor is aware of this and comply with any reporting requirements set by their RO or training body.

Other than in exceptional circumstances subject to the discretion of the Registrar, doctors granted full registration in APS from 2 June 2014 can only practise medicine in the UK when they have a prescribed connection to a designated body, until they revalidate for the first time. Doctors with an effective APS requirement on their registration will not be able to practise if they connect to a suitable person.

Doctors who were granted full registration in APS before 2 June 2014, but who have not yet revalidated, continue to be subject to the APS requirement. These doctors can continue to practise wholly in their current APS organisation until they revalidate. However, if they hold a prescribed connection to a designated body they can also practise in other organisations while they have this connection.

This limits doctors who are newly registered or recently restored to the register to practising in circumstances where they have a prescribed connection to a designated body. However, it enables a doctor to practise in an organisation, regardless of whether it has been granted APS status.

From the GMC website -

http://www.gmc-uk.org/doctors/before_you_apply/approved_practice_settings.asp

For further information on medical appraisals and revalidation, 
KIndly visit our website - https://medicalappraisals.org.uk/
Our Youtube channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGv7f1oW3wjrs1hCriW6k2Q