Portfolio Route for returning GPs

This page details the portfolio route GPs can take in their Return to Practice (RtP) programme.

To be eligible for the Portfolio route application in the Return to Practice programme, you must satisfy the following criteria:

• Be included on or have previously been on the UK General Medical Council (GMC) GP Register
• Have previously worked in the NHS as a GP but have not worked in the UK for 2 to 10 years and instead have been working in an equivalent Primary Care role elsewhere
• Have evidence of current clinical work that is submitted in a Portfolio to the Roycal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) panel for review
• This evidence must include two recent satisfactory clinical references
• Hold GMC full registration with a Licence to Practise (LtP) or have made an application to the GMC to restore your licence to practise. (If you have given up your GMC registration and your licence to practise please read the notes below*)
• Have at least a year's experience working unsupervised as a general practitioner in the NHS while on the NHS Medical Performers List or its predecessors with a minimum of one successful GMC approved or UK military appraisal, OR gained a CCT or CEGPR and entered the GP Register within the 12 months prior to leaving the UK
• Have had a break of not more than ten years from NHS general practice at the time of applying with the last five years working as a general practitioner overseas
• Any career breaks (such as maternity or other personal or statutory leave) from clinical practise in the 10-year period do not exceed three years in total and do not exceed a continuous 15 months in the three years immediately preceding application

The evidence which you collect for your portfolio can be useful for your revalidation appraisal in the future.

* If you have given up your registration altogether (not just your licence to practise) please provide evidence of your registration status in the country where you practise currently. You do not have to show that you have begun to restore your registration before your Portfolio route application is considered.

You will need to restore your registration and licence before you begin your Return to Practice programme general practice placement. However, do bear in mind that restoration applications usually take between one and three months to process. You will be required to attend an identity check at the GMC offices in London or Manchester within three months of your application for restoration being approved.

You will also need to apply to join the NHS England and NHS Improvement Medical Performers list.

If you are applying from overseas you will need to make sure that you can return to the UK in time for your identity checks (GMC and MPL) to avoid having to make a special visit for this.

The first step is to register with the GP National Recruitment Office (GPNRO) indicating that you wish to apply for the Portfolio Route. They will inform the appropriate HEE RtP Lead who will contact you to undertake the formal interview and career review to check you meet the criteria to apply for a portfolio application and seek approval from the NHS England local team. Once these steps are confirmed the GPNRO will inform the RCGP that you may apply to them for approval through the Portfolio route.

You will normally have a minimum one-month supervised reintroduction placement organised by the local Health Education England lead in an approved practice.

For more information on the portfolio route, visit the RCGP website.