The process of revalidating doctors will be compromised if employers are not on the five-yearly assessment panels proposed by the General Medical Council, according to the NHS Confederation.

The confederation's concerns were expressed during the GMC's consultation on revalidation, which ended last week.

At the moment, the proposals say the panels should include a doctor, who would 'normally' be a trust medical director or health board director of primary care. But the confederation says this is 'not explicit enough', while broadly welcoming the GMC's initiative.