At present, all NHS trusts must appraise their doctors annually but the Government wants to tighten this up to ensure doctors are fit to offer safe care.

The new annual assessments will take account of patients' views, complaints or concerns, a doctor's prescribing habits and any personal issues which might affect their work such as drug or alcohol abuse.

Patients will be asked for details on how their doctor communicates, including how well he or she explains and listens.

The degree to which patients are involved in decisions about their treatment and whether they are treated with dignity and respect will also be taken into account.

The checks will be overseen at a local level by a "responsible officer" - usually a medical director - who will ensure the appraisal is carried out to a good standard and will work with doctors to address any shortfalls or concerns.

The report, published by the Chief Medical Officer for England, Sir Liam Donaldson, said the "current NHS appraisal is patchy and not fit for relicensing across the country as a whole".

The study, Medical Revalidation: Principle and Next Steps, also sets out how doctors must keep up to date with medical advances.

One of the results would be to weed out poor performers among the UK's 150,000 doctors.

Last year, the Government published a White Paper which set out the process of "revalidation" for doctors ever five years. The new annual assessments will feed into this process of revalidation, which has been seen as the biggest shake-up of medical regulation in a generation.



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