Start of a New Era: 2018-2019
2018 / 2019 has been a significant year of change for Medical Appraisal in Scotland. We said fond farewells to the old guard, greetings to fresh faces and new ideas, and a welcome back to an old face.
New Appointments
William Liu – Training Manager (Medical Appraisal)
Following Harry Peat’s move to the NES Dental team, William Liu returned to the team and took over the role of Training Manager (Medical Appraisal) from mid-October 2018. Prior to his move to NES Digital, William was previously the team’s Information Manager from December 2006 until February 2017. William will continue to have overall responsibility for SOAR (Scottish Online Appraisal Resource), in addition to the new responsibilities for managing the Appraiser training programme.
Dr Christiane Shrimpton – Associate Postgraduate Dean for Appraisal and Revalidation
Following Dr Niall Cameron’s retirement from NES as National Appraisal Adviser, Dr Christiane Shrimpton was appointed to take up the role of Associate Postgraduate Dean for Appraisal and Revalidation from January 2019. Dr Shrimpton is an Associate Medical Director in Dumfries & Galloway and her specialty is Ophthalmology. She was more recently the Clinical Appraisal Lead in University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust where she was responsible for the improvement of appraisal processes and training.
Dr Amjad Khan – Director of Post Graduate GP Education
Following the retirement of Professors Bill Reid and Ronald MacVicar, Dr Amjad Khan took up the role of Director of Post Graduate GP Education in NES, taking over the responsibility for Appraisal and Revalidation, and Recognition of Trainers respectively (amongst others).
Dr Khan was previously a GP Appraisal Lead and Responsible Officer in Wolverhampton. He has been an experienced Appraiser (GP and RO) since 2003 and brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience that is invaluable to NES.
Rachel Brand-Smith – Administrative Officer (Medical Appraisal)
Rachel Brand-Smith took up the Administrative Officer post vacated by Elaine Green following her move to the NES Dental team in mid-October. Rachel joins the Medical Appraisal team from the wider NES Medical directorate where she has been working on the new NPCCD (National Primary Care Clinical Database) online system. Her timely arrival in January 2019 has helped us prepare for the new training programme in 2019 / 2020.
The work goes on…
Even though it has only been months since the new team was assembled, with the help and dedication of the existing team (Joyce McCrae and Stacey Lucas, Admin Officers), we were able to hit the ground running very quickly and achieved many targets and milestones during this short period.
The full 2019 / 2020 Appraiser training programme was organised and published by December 2018; the organising and running of the 2019 Annual Appraisers Conference; successful piloting and implementation of revamped training course materials; and the organisation of the next MARQA Review. Not to mention the organising and running of seven Appraiser training courses, all within a few months.
Fond Farewells
Professor Bill Reid
Professor Bill Reid played an important role in shaping the Revalidation process for Trainees in Scotland; and was one of the first individuals to recognise the need to pull together various different NES IT systems. His vision helped bring about a more joined-up approach to working within the Medical Directorate.
Professor Ronald MacVicar
Professor Ronald MacVicar took over the Recognition of Trainers (ROT) project following NES’ initial GMC submissions in 2016/2017. Under Ronald’s guidance, he ensured ROT maintained its one-system approach with all universities and was instrumental in ushering in the “Year of the Trainer” prior to his retirement. His calm and unflappable personality will be greatly missed.
Harry Peat
In his tenure as Training Manager, Harry Peat implemented many new ideas and protocols which has helped the new team settle in. Harry had also been extremely generous with his time and helped with the transition of the MARQA Review process after his move to his new role.
Elaine Green
Elaine Green was the lynchpin of the SOAR helpdesk support for the better part of two years. Her attention to detail and willingness to learn had provided the helpdesk with a reliable presence whilst the SOAR team underwent re-training.
Dr Niall Cameron
Dr Niall Cameron had been the National Appraisal Adviser for more than a decade, and it would not be unfair to say that it was his vision and leadership that helped shape Medical Appraisal in Scotland into the successful platform that it is today. Working closely with national stakeholders, he ensured that Scotland had a one-system pathway to Appraisal and Revalidation to ensure consistency in approach and quality, including the setting up of a national Appraiser Training programme. Without Dr Cameron’s wisdom and guidance, Medical Appraisal in Scotland would not be in the healthy state that it is in today.
Our sincerest gratitude to everyone for their significant contributions.
We wish you all the very best in your future endeavours.
William Liu
Training Manager (Medical Appraisal)
NHS Education for Scotland
Westport 102
West Port
Edinburgh
EH3 9DN
© NHS Education for Scotland 2019. You can copy or reproduce the information in this document for use within NHSScotland and for non-commercial educational purposes. Use of this document for commercial purposes is permitted only with the written permission of NES.