Appraisal
There are six types of supporting information that the GMC expects you to provide and discuss at your appraisal at least once in each five year cycle.
1. Continuing professional development (a log of the learning you’ve done to maintain your performance)
2. Quality improvement activity (Audit and other activities to review the care you provide)
3. Significant events (The things which happen – both good and bad – which have made you think about whether you do do things any better)
4. Feedback from colleagues (Now in a defined format with 20 colleague questionnaires)
5. Feedback from patient (Again in a defined format with 34 patient questionnaires)
6. Review of complaints and compliments (Expressions of dissatisfaction or praise)
The guidance to refer to is:
- What the GMC say about preparing your evidence – Supporting information for appraisal and revalidation
- What the RCGP say about preparing your evidence – click here
- More detailed advice from the RCGP on the CPD Credits system – Credit Based System for CPD 2nd version 10110
Frequently asked questions
1. What do I need to put in my CPD log?
Continuing professional development means a log of 50 hours of learning over 12 months. You don’t need to upload certificates of courses you’ve attended or the content of the sessions. Uploading is there for the documents your appraiser needs to look at, such as significant events, audits work you’ve done and policies you’ve implemented
2. What does Quality Improvement Activity mean?
This includes audit, review of clinical outcomes e.g. QOF, prescribing data, case based discussion and PCT Prescribing targets and schemes. Much of this can come from discussion in your practice meetings – have an organised system for incorporating the outcomes of your meetings into your portfolio
The guidance is available on the following link – Quality Improvment Activity
3. How do I do Colleagues and Patient feedback exercises?
The tools to do this with are now incorporated within the RCGP portfolio and Clarity. The GMC guidance about how to conduct these is available on the GMC Guidance page of this website.
4. When will my revalidation happen?
The GMC have started writing to doctors advising them of their revalidation dates – if it’s anytime soon, you will have already heard. If you would like to check your date you can go the GMC website, http://www.gmc-uk.org/index.asp, set up a GMC Online account (tip: you will need the details of the standing order you use to pay for your registration to confirm your identity). A tab on the left “My Revalidation” will give you your date if its been allocated
5. How will I be revalidated?
For the vast majority of doctors, the process will be that the Responsible Officer will simply confirm at your Primary Care Organisation (PCT, CCG, or whatever comes next!) your satisfactory participation in appraisal and that there are no concerns elsewhere about your performance. The Responsible Officer will then inform the GMC and you will be issued with a new license for five years. You won’t have to go a meeting or fill in forms or otherwise jump through hoops, it should proceed without your active participation. For those doctors for whom the situation is more complex, the Responsible Officer will already have been in touch with them to review whatever special considerations or support might apply to them.
Tips
1. Use an online portfolio. It will provide you with an organised method of storing your evidence in a format that is suitable for revalidation. The RCGP portfolio is the most widely used, free to members and to non-members for a fee. Clarity is a valid alternative
2. Keep your portfolio up to date. Find a regular time, at least every month, when you can make a note of what you’ve been doing, while it’s still fresh. If you tend to forget, set up an organised reminder system in your practice or better yet, include it as a topic in your team meetings as much of your learning is likely to be shared. The process of recording your information need not be too time consuming. The aim is to say what you’ve done, what you’ve learned and what you might do differently as a result.
3. Work with you appraiser by getting your portfolio ready in time and coordinating your appraisal date with the appraisal secretary! If you’re not sure about something feel free to ask your appraiser in advance
4. If you have concerns about revalidation because of your individual circumstances e.g. career breaks, retirement, pregnancy, working abroad, please contact the appraisal secretary Ruth Gateley on .
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