FIPO Consultant Appraisal Services (FIPO-CAppS)
The Board of FIPO took the decision in November 2010 to form a separate non profit making company to provide appraisal for fully independent consultants with practising privileges. This will be known as FIPO-CAppS (FIPO Consultant Appraisal Services). FIPO-CAppS will report to the main FIPO Board and will be headed by Dr Gerard Panting.
The GMC consultation exercise has been summarised in a letter from Sir Peter Rubin to all doctors in December 2010. The message is essentially one of “simplification and streamlining” of the whole process of revalidation. This is a welcome change and FIPO-CAppS will be responding in an appropriate fashion.
Appraisal for consultants with an NHS contract will be carried out within their Trust. Those consultants who also work in the independent sector will need to provide a full report from every independent hospital they work in which should cover activity, complaints, incidents and also positive information.
Independent hospitals will only provide appraisal for those doctors who are actually employed such as Resident Medical Officers. Consultants with hospital practising privileges and without any NHS affiliation will have to obtain an “approved” appraisal and the previous “buddy-buddy” system will not be allowed.
As from 2011 appraisal will be strengthened and will be a vital part of the information which each doctor must take forward to his/her Responsible Officer in order for a recommendation to be made about their revalidation. Revalidation is due to commence in 2012 and strengthened medical appraisal (to be rebadged as Medical Appraisal Framework) must start in 2011.
FIPO-CAppS has been set up with the sole purpose of providing the new form of appraisal for fully independent consultants in a managed environment which is acceptable to both the Responsible Officers and also to the regulatory authorities. FIPO-CAppS has started to train appraisers under the auspices of the NHS Revalidation Support Team (NHS RST). A pilot study of appraisals will be carried out in 2011.
Consultants who need appraisal should contact the FIPO Office here
Appraisal Training January 2011
Consultants are needed to assist in the process of appraisal for colleagues. Ultimately this will be rewarded and the costs are now being calculated. Appraisers may be both from the NHS or the private sector alone and previous appraisal experience is not necessary as short training sessions will be conducted.
Consultants who are willing to help appraise their colleagues click here
Multisource Feedback (360º Appraisal) January 2011
At this time MSF (Multisource Feedback) has not been fully defined but it is likely that each doctor will need to engage in one round of MSF in each five year cycle of revalidation. This will involve feedback from both peers and patients although it is recognised that some doctors have no patient contact.
FIPO-CAppS has developed an electronic MSF system which will be refined as and when the GMC recommendation on the generic MSF template is finalised.