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GPwER in MSK

Over the last few years, the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine UK has been working to better define, promote and protect GPs working in extended roles in MSK settings.

2024/25 Pilot in GPwER in MSK Medicine accreditation

The Faculty have recently concluded the pilot of GPwER in MSK Medicine accreditation. Pilot candidates were required to submit evidence of competency using a range of learning approaches and assessments. The portfolio of evidence was submitted alongside a senior clinical supervisor’s structured reference to an accreditation panel comprising of two SEM Consultants and two GPs. A panel assessed submissions and provided feedback and the first formal accreditation for GPwER in MSK Medicine. The assessors are now making some small revisions based on the pilot learning and feedback before our full roll out this summer.

2025 GPwER in MSK Medicine accreditation launch

We are excited to announce that after a successful pilot, we will be welcoming applications for GPwER in MSK Medicine accreditation in August 2025.

To register your interest and be the first to know when we are ready for launch, register your interest here.

Application

GPwER Submission Process

Apply
Eligibility is reviewed
Payment
Portfolio submission
Portfolio checked by FSEM staff for completeness
Portfolio assigned to our trained assessors
Assessors approve or request further evidence
Final sign-off by lead assessor
Inform candidate of outcome

Costs

The accreditation process for a candidate is £850.

Eligibility

Applicants must currently be working in an extended role to undergo the accreditation process
Applicants must have successfully sat the FSEM Diploma in Musculoskeletal Medicine.
Applicants must be a Diplomate Member or Member of the FSEM in Good Standing

How to apply?

Applications will be open from August 2025. You can register your interest and be the first to know when we are ready for launch, register your interest here.

Please see below some FAQs in relation to the GPwER in MSK Medicine.

What evidence is required?

An electronic submission of the evidence to demonstrate competence for the role. We will upload all forms to this webpage after they have been reviewed post-pilot.

Who can act as the senior clinical supervisor?

The senior clinical supervisor needs to be a senior medical colleague i.e., a medical consultant in a relevant field such as Sport and Exercise Medicine, Orthopaedics, Pain medicine or Rheumatology who has prior experience of supervising trainees. They need to have had regular direct clinical contact with the candidate including clinical input and knowledge of your clinical caseload and scope of practice.

Who do I submit the evidence to?

Evidence is submitted to FSEM’s accreditation team (accreditation@fsem.ac.uk). The assessors will then review the evidence and provide feedback to the candidate.

What are the competencies required to be accredited as a GPwER in MSK Medicine?

The GPwER curriculum for MSK Medicine is structured into 2 separate high-level learning outcomes, known as Capabilities in Practice (CiPs), namely, working effectively as part of a multi-disciplinary team and the ability to deliver comprehensive, community-based management of musculoskeletal problems. More detail on what is included in these is found here.

Built on the foundation of the generic competencies introduced by the GMC in 2017, clinicians working in extended roles are expected to demonstrate that they are currently practising at the level of ‘entrusted to act independently’ in all specialty CiPs.

What is the benefit of being accredited as a GPwER in MSK Medicine?

This has been developed during a significant period of change for musculoskeletal services within the NHS including the development of a new breed clinicians working within and across the traditional boundaries of primary and secondary care. This framework has been designed to support and entrench the important addition that a GP with an extended role makes as a core member of a multidisciplinary team in a community musculoskeletal setting.

There has been little support traditionally for GPs to develop these roles with wide variety of experience and clinical expertise around the country. This accreditation will provide the standard for those GPs to evidence they meet the requirements to work in extended roles in MSK settings providing support for clinicians and employers, promoting excellence in musculoskeletal care, and improving outcomes for patients.

Is there a curriculum on which this is based?

Yes! To define the curriculum for a practitioner in an extended role in MSK Medicine a committee was convened with members from the Primary Care Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Medicine Society (PCRMM) and the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine UK to create a syllabus (found here) that covers the most common and important musculoskeletal health issues in primary care.

This syllabus forms the basis of the multi-professional applied knowledge test in the form of the FSEM MSK Diploma exam which sets a benchmark of the entry-level knowledge required to work in an advanced role in community MSK and primary care settings.