TY - JOUR T1 - Will GP revalidation make things better or worse? JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 318 LP - 319 VL - 55 IS - 513 AU - Paul Thomas Y1 - 2005/04/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/55/513/318.abstract N2 - Question: what revalidation policy will produce quality practice and also prevent another Shipman? Answer: policy that makes practitioners unafraid to question the status quo. Shipman could have passed tests for medical competence. It was someone unafraid to ask ‘why do so many of your patients die?’ that found him out. Similarly, a quality practitioner is unafraid to go beyond a superficial medical diagnosis and patiently, persistently, gently, explore deeper, hidden things. Revalidation must lead to an environment where supportive asking of uncomfortable questions becomes the norm.At an individual level, I am describing a reflective practitioner1 who uses qualitative as well as quantitative methods of inquiry. This practitioner recognises that what is known at a superficial level is never the whole story, and is always fishing for surprises.At an organisational level, I am describing a learning organisation2 that teaches all staff the habit of learning from and with each other, and puts in place learning spaces, systems and feedback loops that help to translate individual learning into whole-organisation learning.At the level of the whole system, I am describing a learning community,3 wherein people from different … ER -