What is Supporting Information?
The supporting information should relate to the doctor’s complete scope and nature of work. The GMC document Supporting information for Appraisal and Revalidation describes six types of supporting information doctors must reflect on and discuss at their appraisal:
- Continuing professional development (CPD)
- Quality improvement activity (QIA)
- Significant events or serious incidents
- Feedback from patients or those they provide medical services to
- Feedback from colleagues
- Compliments and complaints.
The supporting information for appraisals is normally produced on an annual basis, building into a comprehensive portfolio over time. One aspect or another may take priority in a particular appraisal, but the portfolio should include the required supporting information on the whole scope and nature of a doctor’s work by the end of the revalidation period.
What is the Primary Purpose of Supporting Information?
The primary purpose of supporting information in the appraisal is to facilitate the doctor’s self-review, whether through individual documented reflection before the appraisal or 17 Academy of Medical Royal Colleges Medical appraisal guide 2022 facilitated verbal reflection during the appraisal discussion. This enables the doctor to demonstrate that they work as a reflective practitioner.
Doctors are encouraged to be selective about the supporting information that they provide as individuals. The aim is to provide sufficient information to illustrate their practice and facilitate a useful appraisal discussion that leads to insight and development, not to submit an exhaustive summary of all professional activities. Where doctors work in isolation, or systems within their organisations are immature or ineffective, there may unavoidably be an increased need for the doctor to collect their own supporting information. They should consider discussing this with their appraiser or responsible officer, who should support them in minimising the administrative burden as far as possible.
Keeping Supporting Information Proportionate
The medical royal colleges and faculties periodically produce specialty guidance frameworks that offer additional guidance and recommendations to help the doctor to keep their supporting information proportionate and to reduce preparation time.
The burden of preparation can be reduced by regarding verbal reflection facilitated during the appraisal discussion as having equal weight with recorded reflection prior to the meeting. The GMC emphasise the quality rather than the quantity of supporting information required.
A doctor cannot be held responsible for genuine errors in information that has been supplied to them. Equally, sharing data will allow errors to be identified and corrected, improving the quality of governance information held by the organisation.
Being asked to bring specific items of supporting information to the appraisal
On occasion, the responsible officer may wish to ensure that certain key items of supporting information are included in the doctor’s portfolio and discussed at appraisal so that specific development needs are addressed. Where such information is sent to the doctor to be included in their appraisal portfolio, this should be undertaken securely and in accordance with appropriate information management guidance. When the responsible officer has defined specific information for inclusion in a doctor’s appraisal, they may check subsequently in the appraisal summary that appropriate reflection and discussion has taken place. The doctor is required to make a declaration at every appraisal about whether they have been asked to bring anything to their appraisal. This should prompt their awareness of any information they have been asked to bring and remind them to provide it.
