• FOR BRADFORD ALLOCATIONS CLICK HERE

FOR EDUCATIONAL SUPERVISION TRAINING VIDS CLICK HERE

The information in these pages is for GP trainees, Educational Supervisors and ARCP panel members. By having everything all in one place, it is hoped that there will be a greater level of shared understanding amongst all stakeholders.

• * WPBA won’t necessarily pick up struggling trainees / poor performance all the time. Therefore the information from educational supervisors will be key as they make the most comprehensive review of all the evidence.
  • * Communication between E.S, C.S and TPDs is fundamental if concerns arise

  * "The trainee describes, interprets and reflects. The educational supervisor describes interprets and evaluates" Multiple sampling of evidence provides "triangulation and justification": so, the educational supervisor should tap into a few random llog entries and PDPs as well as reviewing the evidence, curriculum coverage etc.

   

  A NOTE FOR ALL GP TRAINEES - Please read Before you ES meeting, please do observe the following to make the meeting more productive:   1. Read the 'E-portfolio Pearls' document in the downloads box above 2. Fill out all the mapping sheets for the current and previous post - for CBDs, COTs and mini-CEXs 3. Systematically go through the document 'Educational Supervision checklist for trainees' 4. Bring all these with you on the day. Upload them onto your e-portfolio. 5. Remember, panels are assessing what's in the e-portfolio. That ultimately means you've got to provide evidence to demonstrate the compentencies.

   

  HAVE YOU UPLOADED YOUR COT/CBD/CEX MAPPING FORMS?  
  The best place to upload them is under “professional conversations” and give them a title like “CBD mapping form ST2-1” 

  (ST2-1 means post one of year ST2; the second post of ST2 would be ST2-2).

   

   

  FAQs - the Ed. Sup. process

   

  I've never done or had any training in Educational Supervision. What do I do? (click to open/close)

  First, don't get all panicky.

  Make sure you've read this page first. The top bit (blue box) contains all the downloads relating to Educational Supervision, some of which you will find helpful and others less so. If you scroll down, there are some basic information all Educational Supervisors should be familiar with.

  Then come back to reading this page.

   

   

  I'm worried about what my Educational Supervisor will say...

   

  Relax.... Please be mindful that (although it might sometimes feel like we're checking up on you) it is all about doing what's right FOR YOU as an INDIVIDUAL. We want to make sure you are on track for training so that YOU DON'T LOSE OUT and we want YOU to make the most of the OPPORTUNITIES that are available to you during your time with us. For it to work there are three prerequisites:

   

  1. that you "open up" and tell the supervisor if there are any difficulties (personal, work or otherwise)

  2. that you be honest (and own up to anything you are responsible for)

  3. that you do all the preparation work mentioned at the beginning of this page.

   

  We're not here to tell you off. We are here to help you make things better or put things right. If you find your relationship with your supervisor is not as good as you hoped then it is worth discussing it early on with your programme directors. Similarly if it works well it is also worth mentioning as they will be keen to develop models of good practice.

   

   

   

  What is Educational Supervision?

  * a process of regular meetings between teacher and learner with support for the benefit of the learner

   

  * a process which allows the demonstration of strengths and revealing of difficulties so that these may be helped to be put right within the framework of the objectives set at the start of the programme.

   

  * a process that is confidential (except in defined circumstances), primarily educational and developmental, and designed to help the individual to progress

   

  * a positive process to give someone feedback on their performance, to chart their continuing progress and to identify developmental needs.

   

  * a forward-looking process essential for the developmental and educational planning needs of an individual

   

  All these definitions are basically saying the meetings are there to help the learner by giving them feedback, keeping them on track for their training and helping them to develop in those areas where there is an identified need.

   

   

  What It Is and What It Isn't

  

   

  In assessment the trainee tries to hide what they are bad at; in educational supervision they should be comfortable about displaying it

   

   

  What's the Difference Between an Educational Supervisor and a Clinical Supervisor?

   

  Throughout your training you will have one educational supervisor and several clinical supervisors. You will have regular reviews with both. However, don't confuse the two. Each aims to do different things as illustrated in the table below.

   

  Educational Supervisor	Clinical Supervisor
  Looks at your overall educational programme (ie the whole training scheme)	Looks at your clinical needs determined by your performance in your current post.
  Helps ensure you get appropriate training and experience in an integrated way throughout your training and make you aware of educational opportunities for your needs in terms of the training programme as a whole	It ensures that an individual doctor’s timetable allows attendance at formal teaching sessions, is appropriate for his/her learning needs and that there is a correct balance between training and service in the placement.
  Helps you keep on track for MRCGP and is where the multisource feedback is reviewed
  Involves a review of your assessments and feedback	Carries out assessments that will be reviewed in educational supervision. The clinical supervisor will supervise clinical activity ensuring that the trainee only performs tasks without supervision that they are competent so to do. In essence, clinical supervisors oversee the day-to-day work of the trainee.
  Results in an educational supervisor’s report. The Educational supervisor will ultimately be responsible for signing off the trainee at the end of each ST year before progressing to the next. This needs to be recorded in the trainee's eportfolio.	Results in a clinical supervisor’s report. Clinical supervisors will sign off workplace-based assessments, and write an end-of-placement clinical supervisor's report to be recorded in the trainee’s eportfolio.
  You have one supervisor throughout your entire scheme. Usually a programme director or trainer	Your clinical supervisor changes every time you change a post Usually a consultant from the department you are working in
  In Yorkshire, you are meant to have two educational supervision meetings per post (roughly March & June / Sept & Dec	Clinical supervisors are expected to hold formative meetings with their trainee at the beginning, middle and end of their placement.
  	They will be the trainee’s initial point of contact in issues relating to the specific post.

   

   

   

  The ES Meetings - what's the overall purpose?

  You arrange a meeting with your educational supervisor. Before the meeting, you need to do some preparation.There's a checklist for trainees in the downloads box above. Please read it. During the meeting, your educational supervisor will try and do their best to help you progress. Please don't feel apprehensive; be open, honest and relaxed. The meeting is for your benefit and aims to:

   

  1. ensure that you are on track for GP training

   

  2. help you with educational planning - looking at progress and developing an educational personal development plan (PDP)

   

  3. pick up on any difficulties you may be experiencing - whether personal or with the post so we can iron these out and get you back on track for training

   

  4. to communicate to others (eg programme directors) that you're doing okay

   

  YOU ARE EXPECTED TO HAVE ONE ES MEETING IN ROUGHLY THE FOURTH MONTH OF EVERY POST. IF YOU'RE AN ST1 IN POST ONE, YOU ARE EXPECTED TO HAVE TWO MEETINGS - ONE AT THE BEGINNING AND ONE AT THE END.

   

   

   

  Am I right in saying that all trainees need just one ES meeting per post? And when should I do it?

  Not exactly. You're nearly right.

   

  ST1s in their first 6 month post - they need two meetings - one at the beggining (around month 2)and the other at around month 5 or 6.

   

  All other trainees (i.e. excluding ST1s post 1) need just one ES meeting per post - preferably around month 4 (= around May for the first half of the year and early December for the second half of the year). However, this can be later if the trainee is NOT moving up an ST stage or due for an ARCP panel review.

   

   

   

  Remind Me Again , When Should the Meetings Happen?

   

  For the first 6 months of the ST year (Feb - Aug):

  The official ES meeting needs to happen at around month 4 (before the end of May).

  This can be later if the trainee is not moving up and ST stage (i.e. from ST1 to St2 or ST to 3 or ST3 to CCT) AND providing they are not due an ARCP panel review. But most trainees WILL BE moving up an ST year and be due for an ARCP review.

  Those in ST1 post 1 will require an additional 'unofficial' ES meeting (before the official one) at roughly month 2 - there will be quite a number of these (because of the February new starters).

   

   

  For the last 6 months of the ST year (Aug - Feb):

  The official ES meeting needs to happen in at around month 4 (early December).

  This can be later if the trainee is not moving up and ST stage (i.e. from ST1 to St2 or ST to 3 or ST3 to CCT) AND providing they are not due an ARCP panel review. Most trainees will not be moving up an ST year (exceptions - part time trainees).

  There should not be many ST1s in post 1, but if there is, they will require an additional 'unofficial' ES meeting at roughly month 2.

   

   

   

  What Sorts of Things Will Be Covered in The Supervision Meetings? Is it just Summative? Can I ignore the formative?

  The supervision meetings will contain summative and formative elements. It is NOT about one or the other. You need to look at both. Click on the tabs above on 'What is Educational Supervision' and 'What it is and What it isn't'. That should help you understand why both formative and summative elements are equally important in this process.

   

  

   

  * To able to carry out effective supervision meetings tailored to your individual needs, the supervisor will need access to (and thus review) your e-portfolio. It is important to review the MRCGP workplace-based evidence as recorded in the e-portfolio to ensure that you are doing the right number at the right times and making effective progress. There is a document in the downloads section above which will tell you more about this: "Assessments - which ones at which ST stage".

   

  * They will also check to see whether you have done the AKT or CSA and if not, when you plan to take them.

   

  • * The MSF/PSQ and the clinical supervisors report are felt to be quite good discriminators of how a trainee is doing.

   

  * All of this will generate a collaborative "agreed learning plan" (through an appraisal type process).

   

  * Educational supervision is particularly useful for identifying trainees with difficulties so things can be put in place to help training go more smoothly and successfully; for this to work requires honesty and openess on your part. We hope the educational supervisor will create a safe climate in which you feel able to do this.

   

   

   

  But what do I do in the FIRST of the two ES meetings for an ST1 in their FIRST 6m post?

   

  FIRST: read this e-portfolio guide: E-portfolio pearls - making it work for you

   

  SECOND: read this guide on reflection: Levels of reflection and learning log entries

   

  THIRD: Look at this guide and print it off for yourself to use on the day: ES checklist for the first meeting of ST1. This will help you get used to some of the bits in preparation for the final meeting for that post.

   

  REMEMBER: The main purpose of the very FIRST ES meeting of ST1 post 1 is:

  1. To develop rapport with your trainee – to help achieve a climate of openness and honesty
  2. To synchronise both of your wavelengths – so that you are both clear about what is expected
  3. To help develop their educational and reflective skills (and that they really understand the different levels of reflection and how they can write up their e-portfolio entries in a more reflective way)
     
     ES meetings should essentially be a dialogue rather than a grilling process.

   

   

  I've got an ES meeting coming up but it's NOT the first meeting for an ST1 in post 1. What am I meant to do?

   

  Soon, I will be uploading some ES training videos onto the website. In the meantime, many of the downloads on this page will help you.

  If you're unfamiliar with Educational Supervision, then look at this Detailed Guide for Educational Supervisors

  If you're familiar with Educational Supervision, but just need a quick reminder, then look at this Brief Guide for Educational Supervisors.

   

   

  What Happens After the Meetings?

  * You and your supervisor MUST fill in the e-portfolio's educational supervision report.

   

  * This report will highlight any difficulties - either personal, educational or with the post. Please don't worry about these being documented. Educational supervision is not about disciplinary procedures but more about helping you overcome or see you through the difficulties.

   

  * Therefore, the report has an "agreed action plan" to help your training journey become smoother.

   

   

  What standards should be used?

  In the early stages of training it is unlikely that the GPStR will be able to provide evidence for the readiness to practise. The structured evidence, considered against the competence framework, will highlight the areas where the GPStR is doing well and those areas where more learning and support is needed. Thus each of the reviews will lead to a learning plan designed to enable the GPStR to collect more evidence of competence and to build up a richer picture of readiness for practice.

   

  The standard against which the GPStR is judged is always the level of competence expected of a doctor who is certified to practise independently as a general practitioner.

   

  This standard is used throughout the three years of training. This means that in the first two years of training the GPStR is being judged against the standard they should have reached at the end of training. Inevitably there will be less evidence from the application of the WPBA tools in the first two years of training, and more developmental needs will be identified. This is what the assessment system is designed to do, so that further training experiences can be directed toward the developmental needs of GPStRs.

   

  So, it's okay for a ST1 or ST2 trainee to have many areas that "need further development"; they just need to work on them with time. The GPStR must show competence in all twelve competence areas by the end of year 3.

   

   

   

  How much evidence of each competence does a GPStR need in order to complete the WPBA?

  Assessment of competences is about making a qualitative judgement not a quantitative one. We would expect that at the end of ST3 the GPStR will have several sets of evidence in each competence area, collected from a range of settings and through different tools.

   

  However, the only requirement is that there is enough evidence to enable the trainer to feel confident that the GPStR is competent to practise. Each portfolio will look slightly different, but it should provide a rich picture of competence built up over three years. The “ticks” in the ePortfolio are simply a way of keeping a shared, transparent and systematic record of evidence.

   

   

  I'm not very familiar with this Naturally Occuring Evidence (NOE) lark. Where can I learn more?

   

  I think the Yorkshire-Humber Deanery website covers it very well. Click here to go there now.

   

  However, there's a lot of good stuff on our website too. Click here: www.bradfordvts.co.uk/MRCGP/NOE.htm

   

   

  Okay, So Tell Me About Allocations...

  In Bradford, we will tell you who your educational supervisor is. Hopefully, he/she will be your supervisor throughout your entire training period. A educational supervisor-trainee list can be found on this website (click left hand panel and select allocation list).

   

  Once you know who your educational supervisor is, YOU need to get in touch with them EARLY ON so that you can schedule some appropriate dates. It is no good waiting til say May and hoping they can squeeze you in during that month... please remember educational supervisors have lives and plans too.

   

  The RCGP endorses the notion that educational supervision should be trainee led; in otherwords, it's your responsibility to get in touch with your educational supervisor early on (rather than the other way around). If you end up missing your educational supervision session because you forgot (for example) then please don't expect the supervisor to drop everything at a hat just to fit you in. If you fail to prepare, or fail to organise, then be prepared to fail..... only you will lose out. I apologise for having to write in this way, but this is a key message you need to take on board early.

   

   

  A Summary Of The Educational Supervision Process In Bradford

  

   

   

  Who should read the e-portfolio entries - educational or clinical supervisor?

   

  We at Bradford think that trainers should do most of the validation of e-portfolios when the trainee is in post with them (most, not necessarily all).  This is for several reasons

   

  1. It’s more practical – it’s very time consuming for an ES to go through all the eportfolio entries and validate them.  I think most will end up losing the will to live and we need to keep our educational supervisors enthused!      If ES’s did it, it would take them around 3h to do leaving very little time for all the other EQUALLY important aspects of educational supervision.
  2. A good proportion of the e-portfolio entries will have been discussed with the trainer already.   The trainer would then be able to easily and more reliably validate that entry against the competencies
  3. By the trainer doing it in a progressive way throughout the 6m period, (s)he is in an ideal position to provide a drip method of feedback to the trainee on their eportfolio entries thus enabling the trainee to record them even better in the future (an ES would only be able to do this during their once or twice meetings during the six month post).
  4. Reviewing how their trainee are writing up e-portfolios in a progressive manner provides the trainer with another informal form of assessment on how the trainee is progressing eg level and depth of reflection.

   

  What I do with my trainee, which might help some of you, is to periodically (say once every 6-8w) hijack the practice based tutorial to look at the e-portfolios, read them and see what we can learn from them.

   

   

  My supervisee isn't really recording much in his e-portfolio. Help! What do I do?

  • It would be useful to explore why he isn’t doing it.  Among an infinite number of possible reasons are
  • • he doesn’t understand its value (both in terms of assessment, i e for others, and in terms of recording experiences and reflection, i e for him) in which case we need to think how to convince him
  • • he understands its value but hasn’t got into a routine of doing it: may need rather explicit suggestion of a routine  
  • • he does understand its value but thinks he can’t find the time in his busy job
  • • he does understand its value but is lazy and/or disorganised
  • • he doesn’t know how to do it – in this case, he might need to look at someone else’s.  You could get permission from one of your other supervisees to show him theirs?

   

   

  As an Educational Supervisor, what Can I Do To Stop Things Going Horribly Wrong?

   

  * FEEDBACK PRINCIPLES: To prevent the trainee from reacting badly to any feedback or criticism given, both parties must be fully versed in the key principles of giving and recieving feedback. Attending courses on appraisal or on "giving and receiving" feedback are always invaluable. There are links to the principles of effective feedback in the left hand navigation menu on this page.

   

  * ASSESS CURRENT STATUS: look at your trainee, do they look distressed? If so, this may not be the right time to do Educational Supervision.

   

  * WHO'S GOT THE PROBLEM: Is it a learner problem, an appraiser problem or both? Does the learner need careers advice? Are they in the wrong job?

   

  * DISCUSS the problem OPENLY and EARLY with the learner. Try and negotiate on how to get back on track - set agreed objectives

   

  * GIVE SUPPORT where necessary, show them they are not in it alone

   

  * DISCUSS WITH OTHERS : Involve the TPD and Deanery early on. You may wish to discuss the situation with another trainer for further advice or new ideas (remember, confidentiality though).

   

  * CAN WE GET BACK ON COURSE? Sometimes the relationship is permanently irrecoverable. In such situations the only alternative may be to find another appraiser. (ASK TPDs for help and advice).

   

  * DOCUMENT all difficulties and plans. Such dysfunctional events are likely to scrutinised further.

   

   

  Educational Supervision Fees

  From August 2008, instead of making a claim after each meeting, an annual fee of £300 will be made. The £300 will be payable automatically to the supervisor when your supervised trainee goes through the annual review process. This removes the need for you to submit a claim form.

   

   

  Special Notes on Educational Supervision

  MSF:

  It has been suggested that the person who is going to give feedback should have a meeting before the MSF starts to agree with the trainee how they would like to receive their feedback, after the trainer has seen it first. This should include the possibility that the feedback is unhelpful or destructive. Eg “Would you like me to send you the feedback so you can have a chance to reflect on it overnight, then we’ll have a meeting the next day to discuss it and agree actions?”. And there are many other ways it can be done. Don’t send the feedback to the trainee when you’re about to go on holiday for 2 weeks!

   

  The MSF/PSQ and the clinical supervisors report are felt to be quite good discriminators of how a trainee is doing. Don't forget to look at these. The MSF is particularly discriminating.

   

   

   

  Technical CEPs - Commonly Encountered Problems

   

  IMPORTANT NOTICE (2010) - SIGN THE ED. CONTRACT AND CREATE A REVIEW ASAP. Something that has become clear since the last update of the ePortfolio is a change in the Review system with regards to evidence. The ePortfolio now requires you to immediately: (a) Sign the Educational Agreement, Health Declaration and Probity Declaration (b) ‘Setup’ a Review as soon as your Educational Supervisee starts a new post.    Click 'create review' and then ONLY complete the ‘Setup’ section of the Review - checking the start and end dates. This rest can then be shelved until you actually meet your Trainee after four or five months when your Educational Supervisor Session actually takes place.    Without doing this, the ePortfolio seems unsure as to where to store any evidence that has been uploaded.  Once the ‘Setup’ is completed all evidence pertaining to that post will automatically appear in the correct place. There have been some instances where assessments have been completed but do not appear, by doing this, you should rectify any problems you encounter.   In addition, without creating a review: the trainee cannot do a self rating scale (in terms of the competencies) if this is not done. the ES cannot release the MSF results the ES cannot release the PSQ results the ES cannot see the PSQ/MSF in a consolidated format.

   

   

  How do I log in as Educational Supervisor for the trainee's eportfolio

  1. It's simple. Go back to the home page for Bradford VT: www.bradfordvts.co.uk

  2. In the upper right quadrant, you'll find a link to the e-portfolio - click it.

  3. Now log in using your NORMAL log in username and password.

  4. Once logged in, look at the left hand menu for 'Switch Roles' - click it and select 'Educational Supervisor'.

  5. Now click on 'Select Trainee', again in the same left hand navigation menu.

  6. Voila, your trainee(s) for whom you are the Educational Supervisor should now be listed.
  

   

   

  My ST1 trainee says that they cannot use their e-portfolio until they have our first ES meeting. Is that right?

  No, it's utter non-sense. They've got their own log in and password which means they can use it straight away. Tell 'em to get on with it.

   

  However, it might be that they can log in but cannot add entries because the have not signed the mandatory declarations. So, get them to go to their summary page and just double check that the following three things have been signed:

  1. Educational Agreement, 2. Health Declaration, 3. Probity Declaration

   

  These have to be re-signed if the trainee moves to another Deanery (an inter-deanery trasnfer IDT)

   

   

  I've logged in as Educational Supervisor, selected the trainee but for some reason cannot create an ES review.

  It's likely that you haven't countersigned the Educational Agreement.

  Go back to the trainee's summary page and scroll down to the contracts.

  Click on 'countersign' next to the Educational Agreement - which needs to be signed by both trainee and ES.

   

   

  Is there a document which neatly summarises what a trainee should have done by what stage? I get so confused by it all.

   

  Yes, here's a document which says what assessments are required at what ST stage. It's simple and summarise on 2 sides of A4.

   

  
  

  Where do I write up the FIRST ES meeting of ST1 post 1?

   

  I would suggest you write it in the 'Educator's Notes' tab which is in the left hand navigation menu one YOU have logged into the e-portfolio. Give it a title like "FIRST ES meeting of ST1 post 1" so that people can easily find it.

   

  The second ES meeting needs to be recorded in the embedded ES form within the e-portfolio - but don't worry about that for now.

   

   

  I'm a trainee and have been asked to do the SELF RATING section of the e-portolio in preparation for the ES meeting. But my e-portfolio won't allow me to to do it - it says something like 'you are not in a review period'. Help!

  The problem seems to be to do with the new version of the EP, and is solved when

  (1) the Educational Supervisor countersigns the Educational Contract.  

  (2) The Educational Supervisor creates a Review.  Educational Supervisors - just click 'create review', only complete the set up section and then ‘save’ it without doing much else - the rest can be shelved until you actually meet your trainee (usually in month 4 or 5 of the post).

   

  After the ES does both of these things, the trainee is able to enter the self rating.
  

   

   

  How do I 'analyse' and group the MSF results?

  Click Evidence

  Then click MSF

  Make sure you select the correct 'Review Period'

  Once you've done that, you'll see a little graph icon which if clicked, will analyse the results.

   

   

  How do I 'release' the MSF results?

  Click Evidence

  Then click MSF

  Make sure you select the correct 'Review Period'

  Once you've done that, you'll see a little graph icon which if clicked, will analyse the results.

  At the bottom of that page, you will see a box where you can make comments and a button which says something like 'release scores to trainee'

   

   

  I'm Still Worried Because I've Never been an Educational Supervisor before.

  We all give and receive feedback in every aspect of our daily lives. Don’t worry - it wont be anything new. Relax and enjoy the art of fine tuning another skill. It is important to:

   

  1. LISTEN - THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT. Eyes & brain open, mouth shut. Don’t interrupt, don’t dominate, don’t pre-judge!

  2. REFLECT - on what is being said & judge constructively. Identify learning needs.

  3. SUPPORT - construct & negotiate ACHIEVABLE plans.

  4. COUNSEL

   

  We do all these three things on a daily basis with our patients. Transferring these skills to trainee supervision should not prove too difficult. Relax...

   

   

   

  Any final tips for Educational Supervision?

  Yes, just two:

  First, don't view the e-portfolio using the trainee's login in and password. Use your own. The layout and navigation menu is a bit different from the trainee's view of the e-portfolio.

   

  Secondly, I'm going to re-emphasise the point aboutthe ES meetings being about developing a dialogue and relationship with the trainee in which you both trust, respect and feel you can be open with one another. It is not about a good ole grilling. And it's far more enjoyable and satisfying if you manage to create a desirable educational ethos.

   

  
  

   

   

  A few things about ARCP panels you should know...

   

  How does ARCP and Educational Supervision fit in with each other? (click to open/close)

   

  There is a panel called the ARCP (Annual Review of Competency Progression) that meets every December and June to review your training progression and hopefully sign you off so you can go on to the next ST stage or, if you're in your final year, get your certificate of completed training (CCT).

   

  * The ARCP panel is a formal deanery sub-school of General Practice.

   

  * For the ARCP panel to be able to sign you off, they have to have your educational supervisor's reports uploaded.

   

  * Because the ARCP panel meet every June and December of each year, this means that you must get the last supervision meeting of each post done before the end of May and November respectively.

   

  * We recommend:

  Feb - Aug period: ES meeting end May

  Aug - Feb period: ES meeting end Nov.

  

   

   

  Tell Me About the ARCP Panel

   

  There is a panel called the ARCP (Annual Review of Competency Progression) that meets every December and June to review your training progression and hopefully sign you off so you can go on to the next ST stage or, if you're in your final year, get your certificate of completed training (CCT).

   

  In any round of ARCP panels, each trainee who is due a panel has one panel with one outcome.  The panel is a two stage process, beginning with a local (scheme) panel and concluding with a central (deanery) panel which takes place a couple of weeks after the round of local panels has concluded.  Each of the three areas (Leeds, NEYNL and Sheffield) hold central panels in their respective offices.  Trainees who are given a satisfactory panel outcome by the local panel, or are out of programme, do not need to be further considered by the deanery panel.

   

  * For the ARCP panel to be able to sign you off, they have to have your educational and clinical supervisor's reports uploaded.

   

   

  What are local panels?
  Local panels will be chaired by programme directors with the rest of the panel made up in accordance with the Gold Guide.  Deanery input is offered to local panels for as long as local panels wish it (different schemes are at different levels of readiness to run local panels and deanery input is to offer support, advice and consistency as necessary).
   
  Local panels review the ePortfolios of GPSTs; face to face meetings do not happen at local panels.
   
  There are four possible conclusions a local panel can come to with four different actions:-
   
  1. Satisfactory (either for progression or CCT).  The panel awards the outcome and the panel chair completes and submits the outcome.
  3. Mainly satisfactory with some minor issues (eg some missing evidence).  The panel chair gives feedback to the GPST and a timescale to remedy the issues.  The panel chair then reviews the ePortfolio after such time has passed and gives a satisfactory outcome and completes and submits the outcome or, if the issues have not been remedied, refers the GPST to the second stage of the panel, ie: the central (Deanery) panel (see bullet 4 below).
  5. The trainee is out of programme.  The out of programme outcome is given and the date of the next panel is carefully chosen so that the returning GPST has time to acquire the evidence for satisfactory progression.
  7. The ePortfolio is thought to be unsatisfactory.  The panel chair coordinates the information on the ARCP form.   The panel chair sends a written report to their central (Deanery) panel detailing the reasons why the local panel was unable to give a satisfactory outcome.

   

   

  And Deanery panels?

  All GPSTs where there is any doubt about the outcome are reviewed at the second stage central panel.  The trainee is told they will have a central panel and they have the opportunity to submit evidence of mitigating circumstances prior to the panel.  The decision for a face to face or ePortfolio review is made on a case by case basis.  The dates of central panels to be advertised in advance and trainees informed that they must make themselves available if required.

   

  It is envisaged that some unsatisfactory ePortfolios will become satisfactory by the time of the central panel.  If so, then a satisfactory outcome may be awarded, but there should be consideration of entering an educator’s note about why the local panel was unable to award a satisfactory outcome.

   

  Most unsatisfactory ePortfolios will be unsatisfactory because of incomplete evidence (either quantitative or qualitative) or the need to develop specific competences, and if so they should be given the appropriate outcome and the reasons detailed on the ARCP form.  Neither of these outcomes requires extension of training, although it is a possible future option if the issues aren’t resolved.

   

  If an ePortfolio is so flawed, or the trainee is in such difficulty, that they will not complete WPBA within the time (usually 3 years) then the trainee should be given an outcome of inadequate progress and additional training required, or released from training.  It should be made clear that it is not the gift of the panel to offer such additional training; that decision rests with the deanery and the Director of Postgraduate GP Education.

   

  The deanery panel sets the date of the next ARCP panel and this goes back to local panels as described above.

   

   

  What's the Timetable for the Panels and ST3s going on to CCT?

  The Deaneries need to complete their panel processes for their trainees 6 weeks before the end of the training programme so that CCTs can be issued at the completion date. 

   

  The deanery will start to examine portfolios in the first week of June and invite any trainees whose portfolios indicate any concerns to a face to face review in the second week of June. 

   

  If you are completing your training programme at this time it is essential that you protect these dates in your diaries in the event of an invitation to a panel review. Failure to do this may lead to a delay in your application for a CCT and compromise future employment. In other words, DO NOT BOOK A HOLIDAY DURING THIS TIME.

   

   

  What the panel will be looking for?

  The only information available to the panel is what is on your portfolio and visible using the administrator log in. This means that items in the learning log that are not marked as ‘shared’ will not be seen, nor will items saved in the ‘personal library’ section. You need to make sure that all your work is uploaded appropriately.

   

  For full guidance on how to make sure your eportfolio is impressive, please read this document:

   

  E-portfolio Pearls - making it work for you

   

   

  If you've got a panel meeting coming up, here are some tips...

  It's quite simple really!

  1. Make sure all your educational supervisor's reports are upload

  2. Make sure all your clinical supervisor's reports are uploaded.

  3. Make sure you have MORE than the minimum number of CBDs, COTs/Mini-CEXs. The assessments should also show competence levels appropriate to your stage of training and demonstrate progression and improvement over time.

  4. Make sure you are making good progress with your DOPS

  5. Make sure you have a good number of log entries for them to look at and especially make sure that there is a variety of entries (like clinical encounters, professional conversations, audit/projects, significant events etc). And especially make sure that your entries show a good depth of reflection and analysis- like focusing on your own attitudes, ethics and core values as well as the knowledge and skills domains. Also make sure that your trainer/supervisor is reading them AND that you're mapping them to the curriculum statement headings and that they're mapping them to the professional competency domains.

  6. Make sure you are using your PDP - and making the most of it. This should list identified learning needs, realistic ways to meet them, and show that some of them have been met.

  7. Make sure you've filled in a trainee self rating scale on the 12 professional competencies. In the comments box that accompanies each competency, write down the evidence behind your rating score (eg practising holistically - 6 of my last 8 CBDs are marked as competent in this area). Put as much evidence for each competency (CBDs, COTs, MSFs, PSQs, CSRs and so on).

  7. Email your educational supervisor and ask them if they have 'completed and submitted' their report (they'll know what that means). Also make sure that they filled in a rating scale for you too.

  8. Make sure you've done an MSF and PSQ if you need to.

  9. If you want to be confident of a smooth progression through the panel process you should aim to have more than the bare minimum of entries in your portfolio. This additional material may be from additional assessments if they are appropriate, or it may be things that demonstrate thoughtful consideration of your learning needs and appropriate measures to meet them.

   

  Remember, a lack of evidence means ONLY YOU MISS OUT and the panel may ask you to repeat your last 6 months!

   

   

  Some notes from a recent ARCP panel

  Here are some important points we felt it might be worth passing on after having been to a recent ARCP panel meeting:

   

  What the curriculum headings mean:
  Teaching, mentoring and clinical supervision means the teaching etc which the trainee has done, NOT the educational etc experiences which they have received
  Management in General Practice means organisational management, NOT clinical management of patients
   
  DOPS
  There’s no point recording previous experience which hasn’t been directly observed. It’s essential to get the e portfolio entries for the compulsory DOPS put in by whoever observed the procedure.  If this isn’t done, PMETB will bounce your e portfolio when it’s submitted for CCT at the end of ST3.  Also, the procedure has to be on a patient and not, for example, in a skills lab.
   
  CSA preparation
  The RCGP representative who was at the panel strongly recommended that some COTs are done not on video but with directly observed consultations, i e the trainer sits in with the trainee.  This will help trainees get used to consulting with someone watching.  Also, it means that a range of normal consultations are observed by the trainer, not just the good ones which trainees tend to select for COTs
   
  OOH
  The educational reason for OOH is for trainees to acquire the relevant competencies.  Simply recording the number of sessions worked doesn’t provide evidence of this.   Trainees should make sure that the paper OOH workbook sheets are completed by their supervisor, scanned and uploaded to the e portfolio as evidence of the educational outcomes of the session, as well as making sure that they’ve done the required number of sessions
  
  Signature on educational contract
  Apparently this keeps disappearing so the Educational Supervisor may need to renew it every time the trainee changes post

   

   

  Special notes on ARCP panels

  Quality Assurance
  A small percentage of trainees will be invited to a panel for quality assurance purposes. This is a RCGP requirement. These trainees will be informed that this is the case and not that their portfolio gives cause for concern.

   

  Feedback to Educational Supervisors
  Local panel chairs will give feedback to educational supervisors about their reports, bearing in mind the RCGP audit of ESRs, for supportive and developmental reasons.