Appraisal for doctors and dentists
(excluding general medical practitioners and general dental practitioners)
Appraisal is a professional process of constructive dialogue, in which the doctor or dentist being appraised has a formal structured opportunity to reflect on his/her work and to consider how his/her effectiveness might be improved.
It is a positive employer led process to give doctors and dentists feedback on their performance, to chart their continuing progress and to identify development needs. It is a forward-looking process essential for the developmental and educational planning needs of an individual. It is not the primary aim of appraisal to scrutinise doctors or dentists to see if they are performing poorly but rather to help them consolidate and improve on good performance, aiming towards excellence. However, it can help to recognise, at an early stage, developing poor performance or ill health, which may be affecting practice.
The aims and objectives of the appraisal scheme are to enable HSC employers and doctors and dentists to:
- regularly review an individual’s work and performance, utilising relevant and appropriate comparative performance data from local, regional and national sources
- optimise the use of skills and resources in seeking to achieve the delivery of service priorities
- consider the doctor's/dentist's contribution to the quality and improvement of services and priorities delivered locally
- set out personal and professional development needs and agree plans for these to be met
- identify the need for the working environment to be adequately resourced to enable any service objectives in the agreed job plan review to be met
- provide an opportunity for doctors/dentists to discuss and seek support for their participation in activities for the wider HSC Trusts
Appraisal Documentation
Consultants
- circular HSC(TC8) 1/2013 - annual appraisal for consultants, staff and associate specialist medical staff - contains appendices
- circular HSS(TC8) 11/2001 - consultant's contract: annual appraisal for consultants
- circular HSS(TC8) 3/2001 - consultant's contract, annual appraisal for consultants