The principle that doctors should be able to show that they practise safely is unarguable. Unfortunately, discussion of the means tends to be contentious because of the threat of “recertification,” implying the regular testing of all career doctors. Yet there must be considerable doubt about whether, in our current state of knowledge, a formal national programme of periodic recertification would achieve the results that its advocates claim. There is no consensus on method, and the benefits would be small when measured against the cost of assessing large numbers of doctors already considered to be performing well. Given these uncertainties, a different approach may be more constructive.