Working with the collaboration of a practice or practices
If you are in a position to ask a practice (where you do regular locum work) whether you can take part in their internal activities, you may be able to:
MSF and Patient Surveys are both required for Revalidation.
You will need to ask for the practice's help with your MSF. All doctors have to do one every five years, and employing practices should be sympathetic to your need to get feedback for Revalidation.
You will also need to get feedback from working there using a patient satisfaction survey, and if they are doing one, ask to be included.
Many practices already offer locums some involvement in learning activities, which can help the locum to improve his/her knowledge and skills. It may involve slightly more work for them, but it has benefits for them too.
The RCGP and the BMA both recommend that locums should be given the opportunity to learn from their work - for example, the outcome of referrals that they have made.
As a locum you may feel particularly vulnerable if someone makes a complaint about you: if there is an opportunity to be involved in an SEA arising from the complaint, ask if you can attend.
It is always in the interests of the employer to help those who work for them to learn and improve: this makes for better patient care, and reduces the risk that any work you do for them might have adverse consequences. If they seem reluctant, you might find a tactful way to explain this.
This page was last updated on: 26/04/2021
