Plans for 2022-2023

2022/2023 promises to be an exciting year for medical appraisal with many of the planned activities finally being scheduled. The full year’s training programme has now been published following a successful tutor recruitment run in April and May of 2022; when we also piloted two one-day remote training on “using coaching skills to improve the appraisal conversation”.

We will also be launching the revamped Refresher Appraiser in June 2022; and as part of Refresher programme of activities, we also intend to schedule more short-term training sessions on using coaching and mentoring approaches to appraisal.

None of these additional training is designed to train appraisers into coaches or mentors, it is simply to help appraisers consider a different technique to approaching appraisal discussions.

The remote delivery of our training events has helped me identify enough savings in my non-pay budget to fund an additional Senior Officer on a fixed-term 12-month contract to help with the workload and busy schedule ahead (interview scheduled for June 2022). Additionally, I was given permission to recruit a full-time replacement for Stacey (who was part-time) during her 12-month secondment.

The additional recruitment to increase our overall team capacity and the delivery of additional training resources for appraisers were made possible by the flexibility offered by utilising online platforms to deliver our training. Whilst online will remain our delivery of choice, we are actively exploring possibilities in a return to in-person courses. Tentatively we are looking to trial this in March 2023, but plans are ongoing in ensuring there’s equity in the learners’ experience and outcome in both delivery format.

And there’s also the Scottish Government sponsored review of SOAR already mentioned elsewhere in the report, which will be looking at the current system functionality and what improvements and changes are required to bring SOAR up to date. The review will be conducted by an external provider and will involve a system-wide user survey and some focus group meetings. A final report into the review will be produced and presented to the Revalidation Delivery Board Scotland in November 2022 for further discussion re next steps.

Wellbeing approach to appraisal conversations has been a big theme in the past 12 months. Not just for appraisees, but we also recognise the need to support appraisers and Appraisal Leads alike and we hope to develop resources for this in the coming year.

It has been 20 years since the introduction of medical appraisal, and I have been privileged enough to contribute to its development in Scotland for the past 15 years. The training courses have changed from the initial format of a 3-day residential to the remote delivery of today. Whilst the formal roll-out of revalidation 10 years ago has added requirements to the appraisal discussions, the ethos and intention of appraisal has not changed: it was designed as a formative supporting tool to help doctors reflect on their achievements, challenges and their developmental needs – and now more than ever, it is important to recognise that it still is.

Thank You

I’d like to share an observation… I wrote in last year’s report that I believed appraisal was the tool for workforce recovery. Since the restarting of appraisal activities in October 2020, one of the biggest challenges we’ve faced is the recruitment of appraisers, with many giving up their role in the past 2 years. There are many reasons why appraisers become appraisers but a growing trend in the past year or so has seen people coming forward to take on the role because they had been recipients of such supportive appraisals during the most challenging times of our careers thus far. So rewarding was their experience they felt a strong desire to be a part of the appraiser workforce to pay it forward – and that is a tribute to all of you for being the brilliant appraisers that you are and doing the incredible work you do. The power and impact of a good supportive, reflective appraisal in a confidential protected environment cannot be underestimated. Thank you for your continued perseverance and hard work.

On a personal note, I want to thank you for the work you do as NHS doctors looking after all of us whilst we were sick during the pandemic. Daily news updates only tell you how many people passed but never how many survived. Had it not been for the dedication and lifesaving interventions of the hardworking doctors and nurses who looked after us, myself and my wife would have been a number in these news updates last year. Words are not enough to describe our gratitude but, since I can’t afford to buy everyone a round, a humble thank you is all I can offer.

Thank you.