Talking exclusively to GP newspaper, Niall Dickson also quashed concerns over the future of revalidation by asserting that it was his belief that it will continue.

Mr Dickson raised concerns that financial difficulties are providing the ‘temptation' to say revalidation is too costly or too difficult.

He said: ‘People have real concerns about the economic climate. My response to that is to say if we use the fact that there are squeezes on budgets to remove something that ensures quality of care, then that's a bad thing to do.'

He added: ‘This is the time to embrace the quality agenda. This is the wrong time to move in the opposite direction, which I think an abandonment of revalidation would mean.

‘This is not about ticking boxes. Are we committed or are we not committed to having good clinical governance in place?'

Mr Dickson also said there was ‘absolute commitment' from the main political parties, as well as the GMC and its partners to take revalidation forward.

• The full interview with Mr Dickson will appear in the next edition of GP newspaper dated 5 March.

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