Important notification regarding the ARAF Maintenance of Professional Competence declaration (Question 1)

In 2021, the Medical Council will be reinstating the Maintenance of Professional Competence declaration contained in the Annual Retention of Registration Form. When doctors are retaining their registration in 2021, they will be required to complete a declaration about their professional competence under Question 1 of the Annual Retention Application Form.

What does this mean?

Doctors on the General, Supervised, or Specialist Division of the Irish Medical Council register will be required to declare that they:

1. are enrolled in a Professional Competence Scheme for the 2021/22 year (doctors must have enrolled by 1 August); AND
2. have achieved the annual minimum CPD requirements for the 2020/21 year (this was reduced to 25 CPD credits for the 2020/21 year in light of the protracted COVID-19 pandemic).

We understand that there are extenuating circumstances which may have prevented you from recording CPD in 2020/21. If you are not compliant with your CPD activity requirement, we encourage you to declare this in your Annual Retention Application Form by ticking ‘NO’. If you mislead the Medical Council by making an inaccurate declaration about your maintenance of professional competence, this may result in a complaint being made against you. If you tick ‘YES’, this indicates to the Medical Council that you have recorded the required 25 CPD credits in any CPD category for the 2020/21 year.

For Trainee Specialist Division Doctors:

• Those appointed to a training scheme commencing in July are required to enrol in a Professional Competence Scheme. Any fees will be waived from the May to July period.
• Those who are already on the Trainee Specialist Division at the time of retention will declare accordingly.

Doctors who are predominantly based overseas will continue to declare as such.

Please contact a Professional Competence Scheme if you are unsure about whether you should be enrolled (see here).