Information for Appraisers and Trust Appraisal
Leads (FAQ)
This page answers the
questions asked most frequently by appraisers of those
participating in ACP 360. Please submit any other questions
or comments using the contact details at the end of this page.
How have the ACP 360 results been
gathered?
The report is based on questionnaire returns
from the participant, a number of colleagues and service
users. The participant was asked to involve a sufficient
number of colleagues (a recommended minimum of 13 returns) and of
service users (a recommended minimum number of 25 returns) to
obtain valid and reliable results. The participant and their
colleagues complete an online questionnaire and the service users
post them in paper form. We do not know the identity of the
colleagues or service users.
How are colleague assessors selected?
Guidance selection of colleague assessors can be found on
the page: Colleague
Assessors.
How and when will I receive the ACP 360
report?
The psychiatrist being
assessed should receive a report within 8 weeks of starting
the ACP 360 process (the procedure followed if there are
insuffifient returns is outlined in
ACP 360 Targets and Responsibilites).
He/she should add the ACP 360 report to their
appraisal folder and provide this to their appraiser in good time
and at least a week before the appraisal meeting.
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What should I do prior to the appraisal
meeting?
The appraiser should take time to read through
the ACP 360 report and note any domains in which the appraisee is
scoring significantly outside the norms of the benchmark
data. Where there are extreme scores, it is important to
check the number of returns for the items in that domain. The
appraiser may form some preliminary thoughts. However,
interpretation of the results is a joint process between appraiser
and appraisee. Remember that a score of 4 means that performance
has been assessed as being moderately high (good) on the
behaviour(s) covered by that item or domain. Any score of 4 or
above that means that patients and colleagues have high regard for
the psychiatrist concerned.
How should I discuss the report in the appraisal
meeting?
It is important to remember that some
appraisees will be very anxious about this, particularly if they
have never participated in multi-source feedback before. The
process is intended to be formative and the discussion should be
positive. Its purpose is to help the participant to identify his or
her strengths and areas that he or she might wish to work on as
part of their personal and professional development. The
appraiser should stress the fact that ACP 360 is designed to
encourage personal development, not to single out poor
practice. The ACP 360 assessment report should be considered
as one part of the wider appraisal process and should not be
considered in isolation. Items or domains where the number of
colleague raters is below 13 or of patient raters is below 25
should be treated cautiously.
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How should I deliver the results of the free text
comments?
The free-text comments can complement the
numerical feedback in the main report by giving the participant
further insight into their strengths and areas for development. The
experience from other multi-source feedback tools which use free
text is that people find this component of the assessment valuable
and encouraging. The option of including free-text comments
is only open to participants who have a designated appraiser to
receive the results. Your job is to share the feedback with
the appraisee in a supportive manner. Trusts which have chosen to
make this option available to psychiatrists are strongly advised to
ensure that those giving the feedback have had the necessary
training.
What else should I be encouraging the appraisee to
do?
We recommend that you encourage the appraisee
to develop an action plan to address any issues that have been
identified by the ACP 360 process. This should focus on two or
three main areas rather than trying to encompass every aspect of
the report. This action planning might be part of the appraisee’s
wider personal development plan agreed with you as their appraiser
and/or with the appraisee’s peer group. You might encourage
the appraisee to take some issues into the job planning process
with their clinical manager. For example, if it is agreed during
the appraisal discussion that an unduly heavy workload is a factor
affecting their results.
We recommend that the appraisee makes a diary
note to review their action plan and progress 6 months after
appraisal. The action plan can then be further reviewed at
the next appraisal meeting.
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How often should psychiatrists undertake ACP
360?
You should discuss this with the appraisee, as
needs may vary. As a guide, we recommend that psychiatrists
undertake ACP 360 every 3 years. The GMC will probably set a
minimum frequency for participation for the purposes of relicensing
and recertification.
Contact details:
ACP 360
Royal College of Psychiatrists
Centre for Quality Improvement (CCQI)
4th Floor, Standon House
21 Mansell Street
London
E1 8AA
Email: acp360@cru.rcpsych.ac.uk
Tel: 020 7977 6664 / 020 7977 6663
Fax: 020 7481 4831