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Continuing professional development |
The General Medical Council says: |
"You must carry out CPD activities every year.
Your CPD activities must cover the whole of your practice, and be tailored to your scope of practice and needs. Your learning needs and plans for your CPD should be reflected in your personal development plan for the coming year. CPD should focus on outcomes or outputs rather than on inputs. You must reflect on what you have learned from the activity and how this could help maintain or improve the quality of your practice. You must reflect on your CPD activities and discuss them at each annual whole practice appraisal." |
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These reflections may be done verbally during the appraisal discussion - they will be captured and recorded by the appraiser in the summary.
Do not worry if you have not been able to complete your personal development plan this year. Remember all you have read and learned about COVID-19 counts as CPD! |
What does "focus on outputs and outcomes" mean?
The GMC says, "CPD should focus on outcomes or outputs rather than on inputs."
Your appraiser will be looking for evidence that you are applying your learning to your practice.
For example:
Your appraiser will be looking for evidence that you are applying your learning to your practice.
For example:
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Input
I attended a CCG meeting about hospital bed pressures. |
Learning
There is a new clinical service for patients with disease X. |
Output
I shared the details of the new service with my primary care team via email. |
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Input
I completed an on-line learning module on disease Y. |
Learning
Drug A should not be prescribed with drug B. |
Output
I asked a member of staff to run a computer search for patients taking both drugs. The staff then invited each patient identified to have a medication review. |
What is "learning activity"?
"Learning activity" includes:
There is an element of learning in quality improvement activities, serious untoward incident anaysis, case reviews, handling complaints, audits, clinical governance meetings and even management meetings.
You should try to identify and reflect on the learning in these activities, and claim for that time, rather than for the whole of the meeting or activity.
- Conferences
- Lectures
- Seminars
- On-line learning modules
- Observing in an out-patient clinic
- In-house practice education
- Personal reading
There is an element of learning in quality improvement activities, serious untoward incident anaysis, case reviews, handling complaints, audits, clinical governance meetings and even management meetings.
You should try to identify and reflect on the learning in these activities, and claim for that time, rather than for the whole of the meeting or activity.
How much CPD must I do?
The GMC says:
"Because your CPD activities need to be tailored to your scope of practice and needs, we do not mandate the number of CPD points you should collect for revalidation.
Most medical royal colleges and faculties have published advice on how doctors working in their specialties can demonstrate appropriate CPD across the curriculum for that specialty or general practice.
This includes their recommendation of what relevant levels of CPD might look like."
"Because your CPD activities need to be tailored to your scope of practice and needs, we do not mandate the number of CPD points you should collect for revalidation.
Most medical royal colleges and faculties have published advice on how doctors working in their specialties can demonstrate appropriate CPD across the curriculum for that specialty or general practice.
This includes their recommendation of what relevant levels of CPD might look like."
Supporting information for appraisal and revalidation (GMC, March 2018)
The RCGP says:
"If you provide the full range of general medical services in undifferentiated primary care, the RCGP recommends that you demonstrate at least 50 CPD credits per twelve months in work, irrespective of the number of sessions worked.
If you provide a restricted range of services, rather than the full range of general medical services in undifferentiated primary care, it may be appropriate for you to provide fewer than the recommended 50 CPD credits per twelve months, provided that a detailed explanation and justification is reflected on during the appraisal, documented by your appraiser and agreed with your responsible officer.
You will need to demonstrate that you will not be asked to work outside the scope of practice for which you have kept up-to-date.
For periods of work that are more or less than twelve months, such as when your appraisal month has changed, or there has been a significant period of time out of work, such as maternity or sick leave, the RCGP recommends that you should demonstrate a number of CPD credits proportionate to the time you have spent in work, and provide an explanation during the appraisal, which the appraiser should include in the summary of discussion.
It is not appropriate to try to do ‘catch up’ CPD just to accumulate CPD credits although you must do enough to regain and maintain your competence at what you do.
Emphasis should be placed on the quality of the CPD. 50 hours of learning activity does not guarantee that all educational needs have been met.
You should do as much as you need to do to keep up-to-date across the whole of your scope of practice."
Guide to supporting information for appraisal and revalidation (RCGP, April 2018).
WHat is a learning credit?
One credit = one hour of learning activity.
You should claim for the credits and your appraiser will approve (or adjust!) your claim.
If you don't claim, your appraiser won't award you the credit.
You should claim for the credits and your appraiser will approve (or adjust!) your claim.
If you don't claim, your appraiser won't award you the credit.
Which "supporting information" must i submit?
Reflection is nearly always what is needed as "supporting information".
There is no need to provide documentary evidence of reflection on all your learning.
Quality not quantity is emphasised.
You should be selective and provide high-quality examples of reflection on your most significant learning.
Highlight the most important lessons learned and changes made as a result of your learning, but you need not reflect on every CPD credit.
Quality not quantity is emphasised.
You should be selective and provide high-quality examples of reflection on your most significant learning.
Highlight the most important lessons learned and changes made as a result of your learning, but you need not reflect on every CPD credit.
Appraisers DO NOT want to see certificates of attendance (or minutes of meetings).
All they do is show that you attended...maybe you fell asleep at the back!
There are some exceptions.
Most resuscitation certificates are only issued once you have satisfactorily completed a role play scenario, so the certificate does demonstrate some learning and competence, not just attendance.
Similarly many on-line learning modules end with a test, and the certificate is only issued once the test has been passed, so these too demonstrate some learning.
All they do is show that you attended...maybe you fell asleep at the back!
There are some exceptions.
Most resuscitation certificates are only issued once you have satisfactorily completed a role play scenario, so the certificate does demonstrate some learning and competence, not just attendance.
Similarly many on-line learning modules end with a test, and the certificate is only issued once the test has been passed, so these too demonstrate some learning.
Can i choose which subjects to study?
Yes but...
...During the the five years leading to revalidation you must pick topics which cover the whole of your practice. Every year your CPD should cover your main role (e.g. general practice). You need not cover minor roles (e.g. medical officer for a sports club) every year, but the whole scope of your practice must be covered every five years.
...If you have a special interest within your practice (e.g. women's health) you may study this more than any other single subject to retain your expertise. However you should not neglect the breadth of general practice by doing so.
...See "What is mandatory training for GPs?" below.
...You are expected to complete the learning items in your Personal Development Plan.
Progress against the previous year's PDP will be reviewed by your appraiser at each appraisal. A new PDP is drawn up by you and approved by your appraiser at the end of each appraisal.
...During the the five years leading to revalidation you must pick topics which cover the whole of your practice. Every year your CPD should cover your main role (e.g. general practice). You need not cover minor roles (e.g. medical officer for a sports club) every year, but the whole scope of your practice must be covered every five years.
...If you have a special interest within your practice (e.g. women's health) you may study this more than any other single subject to retain your expertise. However you should not neglect the breadth of general practice by doing so.
...See "What is mandatory training for GPs?" below.
...You are expected to complete the learning items in your Personal Development Plan.
Progress against the previous year's PDP will be reviewed by your appraiser at each appraisal. A new PDP is drawn up by you and approved by your appraiser at the end of each appraisal.
What is "mandatory training" for GPs?
The General Medical Council does not lay down ongoing training in any specific clinical area in order to revalidate.
The Care Quality Commission does not have a list of mandatory training for members of the GP practice team.
"Ultimately the practice is responsible for determining what mandatory, and additional, training staff need to meet the needs of their patients."
"However, these are examples of training that we would expect to see evidence of:
"Ultimately the practice is responsible for determining what mandatory, and additional, training staff need to meet the needs of their patients."
"However, these are examples of training that we would expect to see evidence of:
- basic life support
- infection control
- fire safety training
- Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards
- training to the appropriate level on safeguarding adults at risk and safeguarding children."
Mandatory considerations in general practice (CQC website)
The BMA has a useful page listing possible "mandatory training" employers must ensure their staff undergo, citing a variety of relevant legislation. Of course GP principals are not employees, they are self-employed.
"The UK Core Skills Training Framework (CSTF) sets out 11 statutory and mandatory training topics for all staff working in health and social care settings.
The CSTF includes nationally agreed learning outcomes and training delivery standards.
Health Education England e-Learning for Healthcare (HEE e-LfH) has worked with a range of subject matter experts to develop high quality, national e-learning training sessions, which address all the knowledge outcomes at level 1 and 2 and at level 3, where appropriate for e-learning.
The sessions are freely available to all health and social care staff."
The CSTF includes nationally agreed learning outcomes and training delivery standards.
Health Education England e-Learning for Healthcare (HEE e-LfH) has worked with a range of subject matter experts to develop high quality, national e-learning training sessions, which address all the knowledge outcomes at level 1 and 2 and at level 3, where appropriate for e-learning.
The sessions are freely available to all health and social care staff."
What makes a good personal development plan?
How to prepare a personal development plan (Fiona Tasker, October 2015, BMJ)
What makes a good PDP? (NHSE SSW, March 2014)
What makes a good PDP? (NHSE SSW, March 2014)
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Key documents
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GMP Framework for appraisal and revalidation (GMC, 2013)
Supporting information for appraisal and revalidation (GMC, March 2018) Guide to supporting information for appraisal and revalidation (RCGP, April 2018). Good medical practice (GMC, 29 April 2014)
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Requirements
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