Appraisal

This course is part of the RCOG Core Knowledge series.

"Ask not what your trainee can do for you, ask what you can do for your trainee"

Appraisal has become much more commonplace since revalidation was brought in by the General Medical Council (GMC) in 2012, with appraisal rates for consultants rising from 63% in 2011, to 90% in 2016, and for specialty and associate specialists the appraisal rates have improved even more, from 35% to 90%. The percentage of non-engagement with this process is now <1% GMC.

More recently, the GMC have updated their guidance on supporting information for appraisal and revalidation (November 2020), and the Academy of Royal Medical Colleges has revised its framework guidance for supporting information for appraisal and revalidation for royal colleges, upon which the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists have based their latest guidance.

The current 2019 Curriculum for trainees ensures a more holistic approach towards training a Consultant. All 14 CiPs that provide the framework for this curriculum have been mapped to the nine GMC Generic Professional Capabilities (GPC) domains. This allows continuation of the appraisal process into a trainees professional life as a consultant.

The annual appraisal for consultants is required by the GMC to be a whole practice appraisal that is supportive and developmental, rather than a pass or fail exercise. Hopefully the more experience we all develop with the guidance for and the appraisal process itself, there will be greater opportunities for development of knowledge, skills and expertise to benefit all those involved with them.