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.
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How are colleague
assessors selected?
Guidance selection of colleague
assessors can be found on the page: Colleague Assessors.
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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. 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.
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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.
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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.
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