It was always envisaged that Appraisal would not only support the professional development of the medical workforce but would also inform and support the revalidation process. 2016 saw the completion of the first cycle of Revalidation for all doctors working in Scotland and Appraisal played a pivotal role in meeting this objective. In achieving this, all involved in the appraisal process - stakeholders, appraisers, local administration teams and the medical appraisal team - deserve recognition for their diligence and commitment.
Underpinning the success of the appraisal process is the appraisal training programme, and we have continued to provide both new appraiser courses and refresher courses for experienced appraisers. We continue to develop the training in light of feedback received, and we have clearly moved on from engagement and implementation to a more developmental model. We have recently completed the 93rd appraisal training course! The courses now involve doctors from all disciplines working with colleagues from other specialties and undertaking cross speciality appraisal.
The feedback we receive demonstrates how much the delegates value the increasingly rare opportunity to meet with and learn from their colleagues from other specialities and other locations. One other consistent item of feedback is that participants greatly value the contribution of their more experienced colleagues who act as tutors on these courses. We have recruited a number of new tutors from across the profession, but I would also like to thank those who have moved on for their contribution over the last few years.
One of the findings of the interim report of the UMbRELLA study www.umbrella-revalidation.org.uk was that the vast majority of doctors in Scotland rely on SOAR not only to undertake their appraisal but also to support them as they collate their supporting information. The last year has seen the addition of a CPD log, a link with CPD Connect, and the launch of support for Recognition of Trainers (ROT). As always I would like to thank William Liu for his ongoing contribution to the development of SOAR and in particular his perseverance in addressing the challenges of ROT.
Other key findings from the UMbRELLA evaluation were that the majority of doctors reported that appraisal covered the scope of their practice, allowing them an opportunity to reflect on their practice and lessons learnt over the previous year. It did, however, identify that some doctors still find it difficult to collect the supporting information required. Some SAS doctors fall into this group and in the next year we will be working with colleagues to provide additional supporting material for this group of doctors, and in addition try to encourage a greater number of SAS doctors to become appraisers.
We have had a significant change in personnel in the last year. After a number of years in which he helped steer appraisal through the challenges of revalidation and the expansion of our training role, Ian Staples left NES to pursue other interests. However, I am delighted to welcome Harry Peat as our new Training Manager. Harry brings a wealth of experience from his previous role as a Quality Improvement Manager at NES and I am sure his organisational expertise will be invaluable.
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