The clarification has been made after Deputy Lester Queripel posed a series of Rule 14 questions to the President of the Committee for Health and Social Care.
Last month it was reported that four doctors in Guernsey required deferral recommendations “due to insufficient evidence for a positive recommendation” following the publication of the 2022 annual report of the island’s responsible officer, Dr Peter Rabey.
An Action Plan was put in place for each doctor and three have since revalidated. The remaining doctor will have their last appraisal this summer and should revalidate then.
Deputy Queriepl queried whether a doctor can still practice while awaiting revalidation.
Deputy Al Brouard said: “A deferral recommendation simply means that the doctor needs a little more time to get their appraisal evidence in place for revalidation, for example the doctor may have had a period of sickness or maternity leave.
“And importantly, the doctor agrees to an action plan to rectify this.”
He said the GMC makes it very clear that a deferred revalidation does not reflect a doctor’s fitness to practice.