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Appraisee Guide to the
Revalidation ePortfolio
April 2013
Version 7.0
Introduction
Welcome to the RCGP Revalidation ePortfolio Appraisee user guide.
This ePortfolio has been designed by working GPs. It is intended to be applicable to,
and usable by, every GP in the UK. The ePortfolio has been designed around a
number of roles that users will fulfil and this document has been set up to detail the
Appraisee role.
Support
A helpdesk is available to support users and can be contacted on 0203 188 7667 or
rep@rcgp.org.uk, opening hours are Monday to Friday between 8am and 7pm.
Details of system requirements are on can be found here
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Contents
Appraisee Guide to the Revalidation ePortfolio ....................................... 1
Introduction ............................................................................................. 2
Contents .................................................................................................. 3
System Requirements .............................................................................. 6
Appraisee guide ....................................................................................... 7
Accessing the Revalidation ePortfolio............................................................. 7
To register with the RCGP as a non-member:................................................. 7
Appraisee non-member subscription to use the Revalidation ePortfolio: ..... 8
The Appraisee appraisal steps....................................................................... 11
Appraisee access to full appraisal functionality ............................................ 11
Appraisal Dates – ePortfolio Year ................................................................. 11
Appraisal Dates – Date of Appraisal .............................................................. 12
Appraisal Status ............................................................................................. 12
Appraisee appraisal process:......................................................................... 13
Connecting to your Designated Body: Passcode and PIN .................................... 13
New Users: Choosing which appraisal year to collect information for ............... 14
The Dashboard ..................................................................................................... 15
Appraisal Dates display: ....................................................................................... 16
File Size restrictions ............................................................................................. 16
Area 1 – Statement of Professional Roles and Training ...................................... 17
Area 1 – Personal Information ............................................................................. 17
Area 1 – Registration and Qualifications ............................................................. 18
Area 1 – Your Professional Roles / Scope of Practice .......................................... 18
Importing completed posts logged in the Trainee ePortfolio ............................. 20
Area 1 – Declarations of probity, health and insurance ...................................... 21
You may also wish to view the GMC’s Good Medical Practice guidance sections
for Probity and Health. ........................................................................................ 22
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Area 1 - Additional Information ........................................................................... 23
Area 2 – Exceptional circumstances .................................................................... 23
Area 3 – Pre Appraisal Documentation ............................................................... 24
Area 4 – Log of Continual Professional Development (CPD) (including credits) . 26
Area 4 – The CPD log ............................................................................................ 26
The CPD credit scheme ........................................................................................ 26
Area 4 – Adding a new entry to the CPD log ....................................................... 27
Area 4 – Linking CPD to PDP items ...................................................................... 28
Area 4 – Recording reflections............................................................................. 29
Area 4 – Supporting Information – GMP attributes ............................................ 30
Area 4 – RCGP curriculum coverage .................................................................... 32
Area 4 – The Academy CPD 9-point grid .............................................................. 33
Area 4 – Importing completed RCGP e-learning sessions or courses.................. 35
Area 5 – Personal Development Plan (PDP) ........................................................ 36
Importing Current PDP items from the Trainee ePortfolio: ................................ 39
Area 6 – Significant Event Audit........................................................................... 39
Area 7 – Quality Improvement Activity ............................................................... 40
Area 8 – Patient feedback (PSQ) .......................................................................... 41
Area 9 – Colleague feedback (Multi-Source Feedback) ....................................... 48
Area 11 – Complaints / Cause for Concern / Positive Feedback ......................... 55
Area 12 – Historic appraisal documentation and Appraisal Summary ................ 58
Submitting the ePortfolio to the Appraiser ......................................................... 59
Appraiser review of an ePortfolio ........................................................................ 61
Appraiser review of PDP objectives ..................................................................... 62
Appraiser review of CPD ...................................................................................... 62
Appraiser requesting a change to a CPD item ..................................................... 63
Change Request function ..................................................................................... 64
Making changes during an Appraisal session ...................................................... 67
Appraisal completion – Appraisal Summary ........................................................ 68
Appraisal completion – Appraiser signing off the ePortfolio .............................. 69
Appraisal completion – Appraisee accepting the appraisal outcome ................. 72
Appraisee undo appraisal sign off: ...................................................................... 73
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Revalidation ................................................................................................... 73
The revalidation journey ...................................................................................... 73
Revalidation Column ............................................................................................ 74
Credits traffic light indicator ................................................................................ 75
Revalidation information ..................................................................................... 76
Revalidation Overview ......................................................................................... 77
Responsible Officer requests for more information ............................................ 77
Messages ....................................................................................................... 79
Messages – Received Messages .......................................................................... 79
References, further reading and links .................................................... 82
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System Requirements
The Revalidation ePortfolio is a web based application that stores information logged
and performs actions requested by users on the RCGP network via a live internet
connection. A broadband connection is recommended.
It operates on both PCs and Macs with most internet browsers. Some features may
not function correctly on mobile devices, such as tablet computers and smart phones
as it has not been designed and tested to operate on those devices.
It requires an internet browser that was released in 2008 or after due to the
technology the toolkit has been created with, e.g. Internet Explorer version 7, Firefox
version 3.0, Safari version 6, Chrome version 10. It is recommended to have the
latest version of any internet browser.
Pop ups must be enabled. A security measure is in place that will time users out after
20 minutes and an alert will appear after 15 minutes to notify users that they will be
logged out 5 minutes later. This alert appears on a pop up.
There is a size restriction in place whereby a single file can be no bigger than 10mb in
size and all of the attachments within a single appraisal year can be no more than
30mb.
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Appraisee guide
The Revalidation ePortfolio has been set up to enable GPs to log their learning during
their lifetime as a GP.
Accessing the Revalidation ePortfolio
RCGP members can access the tool using their RCGP log-in details (email and
password) and non-members, following registration and payment of the annual
subscription fee, can access using their registered email address and password. The
login page is on https://gpeportfolio.rcgp.org.uk:
To register with the RCGP as a non-member:
To use the Revalidation ePortfolio each user must be registered with the RCGP. To
do
this,
please
visit
the
registration
page
of
the
(https://integra.rcgp.org.uk/membersarea/custom/register_precheck.asp)
RCGP
where
you will be asked to enter details that will check if you are already registered with
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the College. If the check confirms you are not registered with the college, you will be
taken to the user registration page where you will need to enter your details. When
you press the register button you will be asked to enter a password prompt question
and answer for yourself.
When you have pressed ‘Finish’ you will receive an automated email from
“donotreply@rcgp.org.uk” that will contain your RCGP password. If you have not
received this email, please check your spam folder or junk mail folder first and if it is
not there, please contact the helpdesk (0203 188 7667 / rep@rcgp.org.uk). That will
complete your registration with the RCGP and enable you to then subscribe to use
the Revalidation ePortfolio (note: registration takes 24 hours to complete before you
will be able to log in).
Appraisee non-member subscription to use the Revalidation
ePortfolio:
Appraisees must subscribe to use the Revalidation ePortfolio. Once you have
registered with the RCGP, subscribing follows a similar route. Press the ‘Register
Now’ button at the bottom of the log in page which will take you to the RCGP selfservice area log in page:
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Enter the email address you used to register with the RCGP and the password you
were emailed exactly as shown in the registration confirmation email you received
(the password is alpha-numeric and case sensitive). Before you can proceed any
further, you must accept the RCGP Terms and Conditions (T & Cs) of use. Please read
the T & Cs and, only if you agree to them, tick the box and press ‘update’:
You will then see a welcome screen displaying your details. You must change your
password at this time to one known only to you. It is recommended that passwords
are a minimum of 8 characters and contain a combination of upper and lower case
letters, 2 numbers. Special characters cannot be used. After you have changed your
password, please press ‘continue’ and from the next screen select ‘Non-Member
services’ from the options on the left:
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You will then be taken to the subscription payment page. The annual subscription
rate is £123 exclusive of VAT per appraisal year commencing 1st April 2013. Please
click on the subscription link and follow the instructions to complete the subscription
payment process.
When a new user logs into the Revalidation ePortfolio, they will be asked to review
the Terms and Conditions. Only on acceptance of the Terms and Conditions will a
user be able to access the Revalidation ePortfolio. If any aspect of the Terms and
Conditions are not satisfactory, please contact the helpdesk.
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The Appraisee appraisal steps
The appraisal process has been set up to work in the following steps:
1. Appraisee logs information in their ePortfolio
2. Appraisee submits their ePortfolio to their Appraiser
3. The Appraiser reviews the information in the Appraisee’s ePortfolio
4. The Appraisal session takes place
5. The Appraiser completes the Form 4 and either marks the appraisal as
satisfactory or refers it to the Designated Body
6. The Appraisee accepts the appraisal outcome and completes the post
appraisal questionnaire (note: this is only available if the portfolio has been
marked as satisfactory)
7. The Designated Body is able to access, in .PDF format, the appraisal
summary, the post appraisal questionnaire and track changes document
Appraisee access to full appraisal functionality
An Appraisee can use the full appraisal functionality of the Revalidation ePortfolio if:

They are registered to a Designated Body within the Revalidation ePortfolio

The Appraisee has been allocated to an Appraiser in the Designated Body
performer list

The Appraiser has also registered to the Designated Body within the
Revalidation ePortfolio and logged into the ePortfolio
Appraisal Dates – ePortfolio Year
The Revalidation ePortfolio works on appraisal years and each ePortfolio can only be
open in one appraisal year at a time. When the appraisal process is completed the
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appraisal year will end and the ePortfolio will open in the next appraisal year after
the year it was in when it was closed.
Each appraisal year starts on the 1st April and ends on the 31st March and
Appraisee’s are asked to confirm their ePortfolio appraisal year when they log on:
Appraisal Dates – Date of Appraisal
The date of appraisal for an Appraisee is automatically set to the 31st March of the
appraisal year the ePortfolio is in. The Appraisee is unable to change this date
themselves and it can only be changed by the Designated Body administrator or the
Appraiser.
Appraisal Status
There are a number of statuses that each appraisal can be in and these are:
1. Not Submitted – This is the default status and is because the Appraisee is
completing information and hasn't submitted it to their Appraiser
2. Submitted – Appraisee has finished entering information and had submitted
to their Appraiser for review
3. In Progress - The Appraiser has requested changes be made to the
Appraisee’s ePortfolio
4. Signed Off – The appraisal has been marked as satisfactory by the Appraiser
but the Appraisee has not accepted the outcome.
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5. Referred to PCO - The Appraiser cannot mark the ePortfolio as satisfactory
and has referred it to the PCO
6. Completed – The appraisal outcome has been accepted by the Appraisee
Appraisee appraisal process:
Connecting to your Designated Body: Passcode and PIN
After first logging on, when an Appraisee has been added to a Designated Body’s
Performer list, they will be asked to enter their passcode and PIN. The passcode is
specific to the Designated Body and the PIN is specific to the Appraisee in the
performer list. When both details are entered in the Revalidation ePortfolio, the
electronic connection to the Designated Body is made and the Appraisee can access
the full appraisal functionality.
The Appraiser must also make this electronic connection to the Designated Body and
when the Designated Body has allocated the Appraiser to the Appraisee, the
Appraisee will be able to electronically submit their ePortfolio to the Appraiser via
the submit button below the dashboard. The Designated Body will supply the
passcode and PIN and if it has not been received it can be emailed by pressing the
‘Retrieve PIN and Passcode’ button.
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An Appraisee can only be connected to one Designated Body in the Revalidation
ePortfolio. If an Appraisee moves to a different Designated Body, they must ask to
be removed from the performer list in the Revalidation ePortfolio of the Designated
Body they are leaving to enable the Designated Body they are joining to add them to
their performer list.
New Users: Choosing which appraisal year to collect information for
After first logging on, new users will be asked to select which appraisal year they
want to be in to commence collating their learning log. This can be the current year,
the previous year or the following year.
You will only be able to select the appraisal year once, the first time you log onto the
Revalidation ePortfolio.
Once you have selected the appraisal year you will be taken to the home page with
shortcuts to the sections most commonly used:
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The Dashboard
The Dashboard contains links to the different areas of the Revalidation ePortfolio
where Appraisees can enter their log of learning and other pertinent information for
their Appraiser.
Each area has a status bar next to it. These are divided into the requirements for
appraisal and revalidation. When the Appraisee has entered sufficient supporting
information for their appraisal, the status box will be green; if there are insufficient
entries in an area, the box will be red if there is no entry, or amber if it has been
partially completed, if a box is grey then there is no requirement for the information
to be included. These appraisal ratings are all based on the Appraisee’s selfassessment, but only translate into revalidation ratings after Appraiser review.
Below the table are hyperlinks to reach the optional tables summarising RCGP
curriculum coverage and GMP attributes
The right-hand section of the dashboard shows how supporting information is
accumulating for Revalidation. The process for this is currently set up as follows:
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•
Information marked for appraisal by the Appraisee will be reviewed by the
Appraiser during the appraisal process
•
Once agreed by the Appraiser it moves into the revalidation column at
appraisal sign-off.
Throughout the Revalidation ePortfolio the user enters as much or as little
information as they wish onto each template. The only exception to this rule occurs
when the Appraisee chooses to ‘submit’ his or her ePortfolio prior to the appraisal
discussion – the Revalidation ePortfolio will then prompt Appraisees regarding
essential information left incomplete.
Appraisal Dates display:
The display in the top right hand corner of an Appraisee’s ePortfolio displays:

The date of their appraisal

The name of their Appraiser

The appraisal year their ePortfolio is in
If the ePortfolio year for an open ePortfolio is incorrect, please contact the helpdesk
who will be able to change it. For ePortfolios closed in the wrong year, it will take up
to 10 working days to change it.
File Size restrictions
The amount of data each user can store is restricted to 30mb for an appraisal year
and 10mb for each file. The amount of data used is displayed to users in the file
viewer. If the quota is exceeded it will not be possible to add any more attachments
into the ePortfolio. To assist users in knowing how big their attachments are, a file
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viewer has been created. The table shows the name, location and size of the file. If a
file is to be deleted, please visit the location, open the item that has the attachment
and delete it. It is recommended to include those attachments that are most
pertinent for the Appraiser to view.
Area 1 – Statement of Professional Roles and Training
The GMC says revalidation will be based on what a doctor actually does in practice.
In order for Appraisers and Responsible Officers to understand what the GP actually
does, all posts undertaken as a doctor, whether paid or not, must therefore be
included. Each GP will need to record his or her professional roles into the
Revalidation ePortfolio at the first appraisal, and then update his or her entry
annually.
Area 1 – Personal Information
The information shown is the details the RCGP has on record for you. You must keep
this up to date and you can update your details by pressing the 'update details'
button which will take you to the online self-service area. For this area to show
green in the Appraisal status on the dashboard a telephone number must be
supplied.
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Area 1 – Registration and Qualifications
Use this section to keep your qualifications up to date. The GMC information is
provided by the GMC, if any details within this section are incorrect, please contact
the helpdesk (0203 188 7667 / rep@rcgp.org.uk) or the Membership team (0203 188
7766 / membership@rcgp.org.uk).
Area 1 – Your Professional Roles / Scope of Practice
You need to add every role you perform for which you require a licence to practise.
Use this section to keep a record of all the organisations you have worked for
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including your current employer(s). By pressing the ‘Add the new role’ button, this
template will open where you can add details about roles you have undertaken.
Because the Revalidation ePortfolio is intended to be used throughout a GP’s career,
the fields are very flexible. The dropdowns should be used to complete as many
fields as are necessary for the Appraiser to understand each role, starting with the
GP’s main role (the one taking up most of his or her professional time). Extended
roles, which build upon the main role, can also be entered (e.g. GP with a Special
Interest). These roles are paid positions that could not be undertaken without being
employed in a substantive post.
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‘Approved clinical environment’ refers to whether the post has a system of active
clinical governance or not. Most NHS practice posts (with a Designated Body or
salaried contract) will be approved environments. Some posts have active
performance review in conjunction with or in addition to a GP’s normal appraisal; if
this is the case, select yes.
Press the ‘Add attachment’ button to upload documents associated with
performance review or any other aspect of the GP’s role. Reflections on each role
can also be added.
Recording in- and out-of-hours’ work
Normal hours are 8.00 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. in most parts of the country. Some roles
may involve working both in and out of hours, or flexibly. Enter an ‘average’ week,
bearing in mind this field is merely to assist the Appraiser in getting a picture of the
Appraisee’s working week.
Importing completed posts logged in the Trainee ePortfolio
To import completed posts, press the button “Import Training Posts”
This will then display all of the training posts that have been logged as completed in
the Trainee ePortfolio:
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Select the ones to import by clicking in the tick box next the post and then press
‘Import Selected Items’.
This will then complete the import of completed training posts into the Revalidation
ePortfolio.
You can view the details of any posts by clicking on the magnifying glass icon and
delete any of the posts by clicking on the red box with the white X. Any deleted posts
can be re-added at any time by clicking on the ‘import training posts’ button.
Area 1 – Declarations of probity, health and insurance
For the purposes of revalidation, Appraisees will be required to sign the declarations
listed that confirm basic information about their professional status. Failure to
comply with this may jeopardise their revalidation and continuing licence to practise.
These declarations are required by the GMC. Users will need to accept these
annually, for each appraisal.
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Users of the ePortfolio are encouraged to document reflections and / or attachments
regarding probity and health via their CPD log, perhaps using the ‘professional
conversation’ heading. This will allow the Appraiser to add comments, which will
enter the comment log to form a record of the discussion. It is also possible to
upload the Leicester statement template to focus the conversation.
These can be accessed using the following link:
http://www.appraisalsupport.nhs.uk/news4.asp?item=08052007090123
For further information regarding the GMC’s guidance on your Declaration of Fitness
to Practise please click here.
You may also wish to view the GMC’s Good Medical Practice guidance
sections for Probity and Health.
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Area 1 - Additional Information
The ‘Additional Information’ tab is optional (use it if you have a particularly complex
work situation or role to explain to your Appraiser). This section of the portfolio is
key to understanding an Appraisee’s background and the context and content of his
or her working life over the period of revalidation.
Area 2 – Exceptional circumstances
This is the place to record any exceptional circumstances that have prevented you
from documenting a full portfolio of supporting information. For example, maternity
leave or sickness may have precluded working for a substantial part of the
revalidation cycle. This form has been set up to enter the details. If the Appraisee is
also an Appraiser, this information will be available to the Lead Appraiser.
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Area 3 – Pre Appraisal Documentation
In preparation for your appraisal you should consider how you are meeting the
requirements of the domains of Good Medical Practice. This reflection will help you
and your Appraiser to prepare for your appraisal and will help your Appraiser
summarise the appraisal discussion.
The pre-appraisal documentation is no longer available to Appraisers until it is
published using the button at the bottom of the form. The form will be in draft
initially and will be visible to Appraisers either after publishing or once it is
submitted.
When is has been made available to them, your Appraiser will be able to provide
comments on what you have entered here. Form 3s from previous appraisals can be
added, and viewed after a completed appraisal, in the Historic Form 3s tab. To add
attachments after selecting the file please press save.
Section 1- 4 and the declaration at the bottom are mandatory and sections 5 - 8 can
be optional. You will be locked out of the system if it is not saved for over 20
minutes. Please save your work every 15 minutes and to be alerted to this, please
ensure that pop ups are enabled.
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Area 4 – Log of Continual Professional Development (CPD) (including
credits)
The heart of the Revalidation ePortfolio is the CPD log. It is best used in real time to
record learning events.
Area 4 – The CPD log
The CPD table contains all the logged CPD items, including those entered in Areas 6
to 11. Use this area to enter your CPD for the current year. You will be able to add
reflections to CPD items and your Appraiser can add comments as soon as the item
has been saved (only if it has been marked for appraisal). It is not recommended to
log more than 55 individual CPD items in any one appraisal year, please only log
those most pertinent for your appraisal.
The CPD table will show each CPD item logged for the current appraisal and those
already completed in previous appraisals will be shown in the Historic CPD tab.
These items cannot be deleted and will not be editable.
The CPD credit scheme
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The RCGP has introduced a credit-based system to assist GPs in quantifying their
learning for revalidation. At its simplest, each recorded hour spent on a CPD activity
(which can include planning and reflection) counts as a credit.
Additional credits can be earned by demonstrating the impact of the learning:

Impact on patients (e.g. implementing a new clinical guideline)

Impact on service (e.g. developing and implementing a new service)

Impact on others (e.g. teaching).
Demonstration of impact enables any claimed time-based credits to be doubled.
Area 4 – Adding a new entry to the CPD log
Use this template to log the details of an activity. When you press 'save' a
confirmation time stamp will appear, you only need to press save once. The
minimum detail required is the description of the activity.
Patient-identifiable information – important note
Identifiable information where it relates to patients and colleagues MUST NOT be
uploaded to the portfolio. This is a potential breach of GMP guidance.
For example, if attaching documents such as complaints:
● remove identifiers such as name, address and date of birth
● consider removing other identifiers such as rare diagnoses/drugs or distinctive
family/social history data.
Each CPD entry can be selected to be included for appraisal or kept private. If they
choose, Appraisees can ‘hold’ an item on their CPD log not included for appraisal and
change their mind later. For example, if an Appraisee has done an audit that he or
she is hoping to develop further, it can be brought into his or her appraisal
discussion at a later date. This decision can be taken at any point until the appraisal
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sign-off. Appraisees should bear in mind that their Appraisers can view their
portfolio at any stage and will only be able to view those items marked for appraisal.
Clicking on the ‘Type’ produces a dropdown list of different types of CPD activities to
help speed up data entry.
‘Description’ is a field to enter a brief description and reflection on your learning.
This field is mandatory. Further comments can be added in ‘Impact comment’ area
but this field is to comment on the credit score selected.
Area 4 – Linking CPD to PDP items
When editing, or adding, CPD items they can be linked to PDP items from the
‘Linkage to PDP’ tab. These links will be shown from the PDP item, but can only be
created or broken from the CPD item. CPD items can only be linked to PDP items
entered in the ‘Current PDP’ tab.
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Area 4 – Recording reflections
It is important to record as many reflections as you can. By clicking on the tab a new
template opens to allow the user to add thoughts in a format suggested by the
Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. Completing the template will provide the
Appraiser with an insight into the relevance of the learning done.
Reflection on the outcomes and impact of developmental activity is an important
part of CPD. While time spent accumulating knowledge is an important part of a
doctors’ lifelong development, the real measurement of progress is the effect on
their practice and care of patients. Impact-scoring is designed to support this
approach. The Revalidation ePortfolio contains reflective templates (based on
guidance from the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges) to support documentation of
reflection.
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Area 4 – Supporting Information – GMP attributes
Within the supporting information tab Appraisees can upload attachments, record
GMP attribute and RCGP curriculum coverage and also complete CPD 9 point grid
information. Clicking on the GMP attributes tab allows the user to demonstrate that
learning covers at least one area of GMP.
GMP attributes are currently being piloted and their use in revalidation is subject to
the outcome of these pilots. At present one substantive item of supporting
information is required per attribute per revalidation period. The benchmark for
‘substantive’ is not yet defined. Therefore the attributes are shown here in the
Revalidation ePortfolio to allow users to get a feel for them, as opposed to Appraiser
scoring. Further guidance will be added to the ePortfolio as it is known.
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Appraisees can view their whole ePortfolio’s spread of learning against GMP
attributes by selecting the option below the dashboard. Within the table, Appraisees
can also rate their supporting information and how they perceive their performance
against each GMP attribute:
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Area 4 – RCGP curriculum coverage
CPD entries can also be optionally linked to the RCGP curriculum areas. This will
allow users to see the spread of their learning across the curriculum. This is optional,
but takes little time; we suspect many GPs will find this facility useful to enable the
identification of gaps in learning later on.
To see the full spread of learning across the RCGP curriculum that an Appraisee has
logged throughout their CPD, click on the link below the dashboard to show the full
table.
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Area 4 – The Academy CPD 9-point grid
The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges has developed a categorisation of CPD to
allow GPs to assess the ‘spread’ of their learning. This categorisation uses the
following ‘dimensions’:

‘personal’ – involving only the GP

‘local’ – based around the GP’s usual team

‘external’ – at a regional or national level
Examples of each field (row) are as follows:
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
Clinical – anything directly relating to the clinical care of patients

Managerial – anything related to managing a GP’s clinical practice or the
clinical service. An example would be setting up a new system for repeat
prescription monitoring or developing a new service through practice-based
commissioning

Professional and academic – anything that advances the profession directly.
This will include all teaching, research, mentoring and Appraisal. It will also
include political activities.
Use this tab to categorise the CPD item to map the CPD activity to the 9 point
grid where you can assess the ‘spread’ of your learning.
The 9-point grid is accessible from the link above the dashboard and allows users to
see at a glance if their spread of learning is appropriate to their work. For example,
anyone working clinically should have some credits in the clinical area. For many
GPs, all credits will be clinical (if they only work clinically and not in an academic or
managerial role).
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Area 4 – Importing completed RCGP e-learning sessions or courses
Any courses or sessions completed using the RCGP Online Learning Environment can
be added to your CPD log. The ‘Retrieve RCGP eLearning’ button will take you to a
new page called 'OLE upload page' which will contain a list of completed courses or
sessions.
Selecting the courses or sessions and importing them will add them as
RCGP e-Learning CPD items in your CPD log, which can be marked for appraisal.
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Area 5 – Personal Development Plan (PDP)
The PDP section has 3 tabs: Current PDP, Proposed/Next Year’s PDP and
Historic/Archived PDP:
Any active PDP objectives agreed at your last appraisal should be entered in the
Current PDP area. You will be able to add comments to PDP items to reflect if they
have changed from when they were first created, and your Appraiser can add
comments as soon as the item has been saved. You can read your Appraiser's
comments when you review PDP items.
To add PDP items, press the ‘Add objective for this PDP’ button and you can add
information about your PDP in the template:
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It is possible to switch between the full landscape view of the PDP section via an
expand/collapse link and the summarised view in popup window.
The emphasis of ownership of the PDP and its outcomes is now with the GP who will
set the outcome. PDP items are ‘proposed’, when initially created, and ‘met’ when
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they have been achieved, ‘Partially met’ when they has been partially achieved, or
‘not met’ if they have not been achieved.
They can also be discarded and, if they are partially met and the Appraisee would
like to continue achieving the PDP during the next appraisal year, they can be set to
‘Partially met and move to next year’, which will keep them in the current PDP when
the next appraisal year is opened. An outcome must be made prior to submitting the
ePortfolio to the Appraiser. It will not be possible to submit without making the
designation. The outcome can be discussed with your Appraiser and once your
Appraiser has confirmed the outcome, the PDP objective will become read only.
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Importing Current PDP items from the Trainee ePortfolio:
PDP objectives that are current in the Trainee ePortfolio can be imported into the
current years PDP in the Revalidation ePortfolio. Clicking on the ‘Import PDP
Objectives will then display all current PDP items from within the Trainee ePortfolio,
and they can be imported by clicking in the tick box next to the item and pressing
‘Import Selected Items’. The items can be deleted and re-added at any time before
an appraisal is signed off, by clicking on the red box with the white X next to the
item, and then repeating the import steps.
Area 6 – Significant Event Audit
The template for significant event audit facilitates addition of reflections in the GMP
domains. Information on Significant Event audits can be added directly to this area.
The template for significant event audits facilitates the recording of reflections in line
with Good Medical Practice (GMP) domains. Refer to the RCGP Guide to the
Revalidation of General Practitioners for further guidance on this area. The template
can be accessed by pressing the ‘Details for area 6’ button:
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Area 7 – Quality Improvement Activity
Types of Quality Improvement activities are available by selecting the type from the
drop down list (as shown below), and corresponding details templates become
available via the ‘details for Area 7’ button (except for Other (Quality) which has no
corresponding details template.
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The templates are designed to promote a structured account to reflect good
practice. Please refer to the RCGP Guide to the Revalidation of General Practitioners
for further guidance on this area.
Area 8 – Patient feedback (PSQ)
In this area you can upload electronic versions of feedback received or invite
patients to complete the GMC standard questionnaire. The GMC questionnaire is
designed to be administered to 45 consecutive patients (or carers) as a postconsultation or ‘exit’ survey. It should take patients about five minutes to complete.
To gain a good overall perception of performance through the eyes of their patients,
doctors should aim to collect a minimum 34 completed questionnaires from their
patients. The GMC’s instructions for administering GMC patient questionnaires can
be found in the resources section.
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Electronic copies can be added via 'Add a patient feedback questionnaire' and
patients can complete the GMC patient questionnaire online (or printed) via 'GMC
patient questionnaire invitations'.
Press 'GMC patient questionnaire invitations', there you will first provide a selfassessment then invite your patients to provide feedback. All questions are to be
completed but only questions in sections 4 and 5 are shown in the graph (accessed
via clicking 'GMC colleague questionnaire invitations'.
Following completion of the GMC patient questionnaire, users should return to this
area and select the 'Add a patient feedback questionnaire' to record reflections, add
learning credits, and complete the remainder of the template.
As with MSF, the Appraisee will be asked to complete the usual CPD template and
provide information relating specifically to this area. Appraisees who cannot yet
provide patient survey data are still encouraged by the RCGP to document any other
supporting information and reflections they can provide on relationships with
patients, to fulfil the requirements of Appraisal. The template can be accessed by
pressing the ‘Details for area 8’ button:
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Patients can complete a standard GMC feedback questionnaire. This can be done
either online or printed out. Following the completion of patient questionnaires,
users should return to the same area and select the Add a patient feedback
questionnaire to record reflections, learning credits, and complete the rest of the
information in the template.
The GP will complete the questionnaire on themselves first, then use their own
‘scoring’ as a comparison when considering their reflections. Once the GP has
completed their own self-assessment they will be able to see the results of their own
self-assessment compared against the responses of patients, and also against results
of other GPs within the Revalidation ePortfolio.
Sections 4 and 5 on the patient questionnaire are mandatory. These questions will
be shown in the graph and used for the comparisons.
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How the questionnaires work in practice:
Click on the relevant button to access the questionnaires:
When the questionnaire section loads, click on the self-assessment and summary
button:
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This will then load the self-assessment questionnaire link and this will be the same
place as the summary chart is shown:
To complete the self-assessment questionnaire, press the ‘Complete your
questionnaire’ button. Complete the questionnaire and press ‘Submit’.
On completion of the self-assessment questionnaire, you will have set the level to
compare yourself against the responses of your patients for this revalidation period.
You will be shown the graph to compare yourself against the responses of your
patients in a summary chart. Your self-assessment will be the Pink ‘GP Score’, your
patients assessment will be Green ‘, and the average score given to GPs throughout
the ePortfolio by patients will blue ‘.
Sending invitations for patients to complete the questionnaire
Click the ‘send invitations’ tab, enter the recipients email address and if you choose,
their name in the relevant tabs and you can also add a message. There will be a
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message in the automated email with the invitation request. Press send. You can
send an email to multiple recipients by pressing the ‘Add recipient’ button.
The recipients will receive an email of:
Dear Patient
Dr [requestor’s name] has requested that you complete a Colleague/Patient
Questionnaire about them.
Please click the following link to proceed [link to complete the questionnaire]
Kind regards,
RCGP
The link will take your patient to these options:
The questionnaire can be completed online by pressing the ‘Fill out online’ or can be
printed and then the answers added via the ‘fill out online’. The link has a code for
each questionnaire requested to be completed and can only be used once.
The number of requests sent, who the request was sent to and responses received is
shown below the invitation function.
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Adding the answers to printed questionnaires:
If the patient does not want to complete it online and wants it to be printed out
instead. The Appraisee can send bulk PSQ questionnaire codes to their nominated
person for hard copy handouts which means that they no longer have to send a
separate e-mail for each questionnaire to generate a code for the uploading of the
responses. The questionnaires will still be completed individually and the
representative will enter the same web address with a different code to complete
the individual questionnaires.
Results graph:
The results of the self-assessment, responses from patients, and the average of
responses from patients that has been logged in the Revalidation ePortfolio are
shown in a summary graph. Below the graph shows the individual comments on the
questionnaires and also the Appraiser’s comments [this information is available to
Appraisers].
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The RCGP would encourage you to discuss your feedback with an appropriate
facilitator.
Area 9 – Colleague feedback (Multi-Source Feedback)
In this area you can upload electronic versions of feedback received or invite
colleagues to complete the GMC standard questionnaire.
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At the start of the process, the doctor will need to nominate 20 colleagues who are
able to provide feedback on their professional performance. The nominated sample
should be made up of a mixture of medical and non-medical colleagues (10 medical
and 10 non-medical if possible). To gain reliable feedback from colleagues, the aim
should be to collect a minimum of 15 completed colleague questionnaires. A paper
version of the questionnaire can be made available on request. The GMC’s
Instructions for administering GMC colleague questionnaires can be found in the
resources section.
Electronic copies can be added via 'Add a colleague feedback questionnaire' and
colleagues can complete the GMC colleague questionnaire online (or printed) via
'GMC colleague questionnaire invitations'.
Press 'GMC colleague questionnaire invitations', there you will first provide a selfassessment then invite your colleagues to provide feedback. All questions are to be
completed but only questions in sections 1 to 20 are shown in the graph (accessed
via clicking 'GMC colleague questionnaire invitations'.
Following completion of the GMC colleague questionnaire, users should return to
this area and select the 'Add a colleague feedback questionnaire' to record
reflections, add learning credits, and complete the remainder of the template.
The Appraisee will be asked to complete the usual CPD template, to allow him or her
to add CPD credits and reflections, and link to GMP and curriculum coverage if
wished. There are also fields for the Appraisee to enter information specifically
about this area. Appraisees who have not yet participated in MSF (like most GPs) are
still encouraged by the RCGP to document any other supporting information and
reflections they can provide on relationships with colleagues, to fulfil the
requirements of appraisal.
If the Appraisee has received feedback on his or her MSF from another person or
organisation (such as a commercial MSF analysis provider) this can be uploaded in
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the ‘supporting information’ section. The template can be accessed by pressing the
‘Details for area 9’ button:
Colleagues can complete a standard GMC feedback questionnaire. This can be done
either online or printed out. Following the completion of colleague questionnaires,
users should return to the same area and select the ‘Add a colleague feedback
questionnaire’ to record reflections, learning credits, and complete the rest of the
information in the template.
The GP will complete the questionnaire on themselves first, then use their own
‘scoring’ as a comparison when considering their reflections. Once the GP has
completed their own self-assessment they will be able to see the results of their own
self-assessment compared against the responses of patients and colleagues, and also
against results of other GPs within the Revalidation ePortfolio.
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Sections 1 to 20 on the colleague questionnaire are mandatory. These questions will
be shown in the graph and used for the comparisons.
How the questionnaires works in practice:
Click on the relevant button to access the questionnaires:
When the questionnaire section loads, click on the self-assessment and summary
button:
This will then load the self-assessment questionnaire link and this will be the same
place as the summary chart is shown. To complete the self-assessment
questionnaire, press the ‘Complete your questionnaire’ button. Complete the
questionnaire and press ‘Submit’.
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On completion of the self-assessment questionnaire, you will have set the level to
compare yourself against the responses of your colleagues for this revalidation
period. You will be shown the graph to compare yourself against the responses of
your colleagues in a summary chart. Your self-assessment will be the Pink ‘GP Score’,
your colleagues assessment will be Green ‘, and the average score given to GPs
throughout the ePortfolio by colleagues will blue ‘.
Sending invitations for colleagues to complete the questionnaire
Click the ‘send invitations’ tab, enter the recipients email address and if you choose,
their name in the relevant tabs and you can also add a message. There will be a
message in the automated email with the invitation request. Press send. You can
send an email to multiple recipients by pressing the ‘Add recipient’ button.
The recipients will receive an email of:
Dear Colleague
Dr [requestor’s name] has requested that you complete a Colleague/Patient
Questionnaire about them.
Please click the following link to proceed [link to complete the questionnaire]
Kind regards,
RCGP
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The link will take your colleague to these options:
The questionnaire can be completed online by pressing the ‘Fill out online’ or can be
printed and then the answers added via the ‘fill out online’. The link has a code for
each questionnaire requested to be completed and can only be used once.
The number of requests sent, who the request was sent to and responses received is
shown below the invitation function.
Adding the answers to printed questionnaires:
If the colleague does not want to complete it online and wants it to be printed out
instead. The Appraisee can send bulk PSQ MSF questionnaire codes to their
nominated person for hard copy handouts which means that they no longer have to
send a separate e-mail for each questionnaire to generate a code for the uploading
of the responses. The questionnaires will still be completed individually and the
representative will enter the same web address with a different code to complete
the individual questionnaires:
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Results graph:
The results of the self-assessment, responses from colleagues, and the average of
responses from colleagues logged in the Revalidation ePortfolio are shown in a
summary graph. Below the graph shows the individual comments on the
questionnaires and also the Appraiser’s comments [this information is available to
Appraisers].
The RCGP would encourage you to discuss your feedback with an appropriate
facilitator.
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Area 10 – Other feedback:
This is an area is for recording any feedback received, e.g. received whilst teaching or
from other colleagues not via a questionnaire.
Area 11 – Complaints / Cause for Concern / Positive Feedback
It is important that any formal complaints are discussed at appraisal, as part of the
formative learning process. To neglect to include them would be a serious probity
issue. Relevant documentation should therefore appear within an Appraisee’s
Revalidation ePortfolio. It is important that any documentation (including
attachments) is anonymised, both to protect patient confidentiality and for data
protection (see patient identifiable information).
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The template for complaints and causes for concern are the same, the template for
positive feedback is different, both can be accessed by selecting the type first then
pressing the ‘Details for area 11’ button:
The Appraisee should attach sufficient information about any complaint for the
Appraiser to understand it fully. Use the template to record the following:
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1. Is the complaint resolved or on-going?
2. If on-going, are other bodies (such as the PCO or the GMC) involved
3. What steps have been taken to deal with the complaint?
4. What response has the Appraisee had from the complainant?
5. What other information can be provided to reassure the Appraiser that the
issue will not be recurrent?
The complaint/cause for concern template
It is advisable for all Appraisees to use the ‘comments’ box to declare the fact they
have submitted all formal complaints from the year (or if none, to also state this).
Please refer to the RCGP Guide to the Revalidation of General Practitioners for
guidance on complaints and Revalidation.
Positive feedback from patients (or colleagues) can also be recorded in this area.
There are specific templates for Complaints, Cause for Concern and Positive
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Feedback. The Appraisee should therefore ensure that they select the correct type
(from the drop down list) before they enter information.
The positive feedback template
The Appraisee must make one of these declarations
Area 12 – Historic appraisal documentation and Appraisal Summary
Any historical appraisal documentation can be found in Area 12
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To attach a document from an existing electronic toolkit such as Pre Appraisal
documentation or Form 4, first the user needs to store it on the computer which he
or she is working, then upload it as an attachment.
Appraisees will not be able to view the Form 4 until after the Appraiser has marked
the appraisal as satisfactory before accepting the appraisal outcome. If the
Appraisee wishes to view the Form 4, before the appraisal is marked as satisfactory,
it is recommended that the Appraiser copies the information logged in the form 4
and pastes it into a document that can be sent to the Appraisee outside of the
Revalidation ePortfolio.
Submitting the ePortfolio to the Appraiser
When the ePortfolio has been completed with all the information the Appraisee
wants to present to their Appraiser, it can be presented to their Appraiser in one of 2
ways.
1. Submitting it electronically to their Appraiser in the Revalidation ePortfolio
2. Downloading it and sending it to their Appraiser outside of the Revalidation
ePortfolio
As previously mentioned an Appraisee can use the full appraisal functionality and
submit their ePortfolio to their Appraiser electronically if:

They are registered to the Designated Body within the Revalidation ePortfolio
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
The Appraisee has been allocated to an Appraiser in the Designated Body
performer list

The Appraiser has also registered to the Designated Body within the
Revalidation ePortfolio and logged in
Above the dashboard is a blue bar with key information including, the appraisal date,
the name of the Appraiser and the year the ePortfolio is in. Below the dashboard will
be a submit button. If the name of the Appraiser isn’t showing in the blue bar and
there isn’t a submit button below the dashboard it means that one of the above
activities has not taken place. This is the blue bar with an Appraiser allocated:
To submit the ePortfolio to the Appraiser, press the submit button below the
dashboard. When an Appraisee is submitting their ePortfolio to their Appraiser, they
must either agree or disagree to these declarations:
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After the ePortfolio has been submitted, all areas apart from Area 5 will be locked.
This is because the system will recognise that the Appraisee has no further changes
to be made and their ePortfolio is ready to be appraised. An ePortfolio can be unsubmitted at any time, which will unlock it and then the Appraisee can make changes
to it. There are other ways of making changes to an ePortfolio after it has been
submitted, these are through the Appraiser requesting a change to an item or by
using the mutual login function. Both are detailed further below.
Once an ePortfolio has been submitted, a message will appear above the dashboard
advising both the Appraisee and Appraiser when the appraisal is due to be
completed (reviewed and signed off by both Appraisee and Appraiser) based upon
the appraisal date in the Revalidation ePortfolio. If the ePortfolio for the appraisal is
not closed off within 28 days of the ePortfolio being submitted, the Designated Body
will be notified.
Appraiser review of an ePortfolio
The Appraiser will receive a message in the Revalidation ePortfolio notifying them
that an ePortfolio has been submitted to them. They will receive an email advising
them that they have a message and they can view the message by logging onto the
Revalidation ePortfolio and accessing their messages via the link on the left. Details
of the automated messages that are sent are further down this document. To view
them press this link.
The Appraiser has a number of actions to complete as part of their review of an
ePortfolio. They must review all the information within it and provide comments
where applicable. An Appraiser can view an ePortfolio at any time prior to an
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Appraisee submitting it and add comments. An Appraiser will only be able to view
the CPD items that have been marked for appraisal.
Appraiser review of PDP objectives
An Appraiser must review each PDP item in both the Current PDP and Next Year’s
PDP tab and confirm the outcome or that the objective is appropriate. The Appraiser
can comment on each PDP item as well as commenting on the PDP as a whole. The
Appraiser is presented with this view of the whole PDP:
Comments made by an Appraiser on PDP objectives can be viewed by the Appraisee
by opening each PDP item.
Appraiser review of CPD
An Appraiser, as with the PDP objectives must confirm the CDP items logged:
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Appraiser requesting a change to a CPD item
The Appraiser can request the Appraisee make a change to any aspect of a CPD item
using the ‘Request a Change’ function. This function would be used before the
Appraisal session. As part of this process, the Appraisee is notified of the change the
Appraiser has requested and can either accept, and make the change, or can decline
the change. Any changes made as part of this process is stored in the Track Changes
record, which is available to the Designated Body after the Appraisal outcome has
been accepted.
To request a change, the Appraiser will press the ‘Request a Change’ button within
the CPD item. They will select what they want to be changed, provide comment and
then press save.
These are the change request options for a CPD item:
The Appraisee will then receive an email and a message when they log into their
ePortfolio notifying them that their Appraiser has requested a change.
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When a change has been requested, the Appraiser and Appraisee will see this button
below the dashboard:
Change Request function
The change request function is there to enable changes to an ePortfolio after it has
been submitted and is instigated by an Appraiser requesting a change to either a
CPD or PDP item. These changes are stored in a ‘Track Changes’ document after an
appraisal outcome has been accepted. This function does not work when an
ePortfolio has been un-submitted and it is recommended to use this function to
make changes to PDP and CPD items and NOT un-submit the ePortfolio.
The change request function enables an Appraiser to suggest changes to PDP and
CPD items which the Appraisee can either, agree and make the change, or decline.
When a change has been requested by an Appraiser, the status of the ePortfolio
changes from submitted to in progress and the Appraisee receives a message that a
change has been requested, and the Change Request function is accessible via the
button that will appear below the dashboard or accessed via the message that
appears when they log on:
The Appraisee will see all of the un-actioned requests from the Appraiser and can
either accept and make the change, make a counter suggestion or decline the
change requested.
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The red text is the specific field/entry that has been requested to be changed and
the blue text is the item in the portfolio that the change is to be made to, with the
comments from the Appraiser below.
To make changes, the Appraisee clicks on the blue text and it will open the item that
has been requested to be changed. The Appraisee can then make the requested
change and accept, or decline the requested change and provide comments for the
Appraiser. If the Appraisee declines, they can make a counter suggestion to the
Appraiser and then the Appraiser can also either agree or decline the counter
suggestion and make a further counter suggestion. If unresolved, the Designated
Body will be required to mediate, although this scenario is very unlikely.
The change requests history contains the full history of all the changes that have
been requested and their current status:
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To see the original value seen by the Appraiser and the current value of the
requested change, please click on the blue arrow to the right of the Accept and
Decline buttons.
When all the changes have been agreed between Appraiser and Appraisee, the items
will be shown as closed in the changes requested history. After an appraisal has been
completed, the complete log of all changes that have been made during an appraisal
is stored as a PDF in Area 4 with the archived appraisal information. The log is also
sent to the Designated Body along with the appraisal summary document and the
post-appraisal questionnaire.
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Making changes during an Appraisal session
During an appraisal session, it is possible for the Appraisee to authorise changes to
be made to Areas 4 through to 11 of the ePortfolio whilst the Appraiser is logged in.
To do this both the Appraisee and Appraiser will need to be physically present and
the Appraisee must have submitted their ePortfolio to their Appraiser.
The Appraiser opens the submitted ePortfolio and clicks on the ‘Start an Appraisal
Session’ button located at the bottom of the dashboard.
This will then open a page where the Appraisee logs in to activate their authorisation
for the Appraiser to make changes.
The blue bar at the top right will show when an appraisal session is active and
changes can then be made to Areas 4 to 11. To end the joint log in session at any
time click ‘stop’.
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Appraisal completion – Appraisal Summary
The appraisal summary is accessed from Area 12 and the Appraiser can complete the
template and also view previous appraisal documents.
The Appraiser has to complete the appraisal summary before signing off the
Appraisal. The appraisal summary for each domain should cover:
1. an overview of the supporting information and the doctor's accompanying
commentary.
2. comment on the extent to which the supporting information relates to all
aspects of the doctor's scope of work.
The Appraiser must record here a concise summary of the appraisal discussion,
which should be agreed with the doctor, prior to both parties signing off the
document.
Note: There will be an opportunity for the Appraisee to disagree with elements.
Summaries should be recorded in accordance with the four domains of Good
Medical Practice. The Appraiser should be aware of the attributes within each of the
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domains and ensure that this, and future appraisals, are in accordance with Good
Medical Practice.
Appraisal completion – Appraiser signing off the ePortfolio
At the very bottom of the Appraiser’s dashboard are buttons, ‘Mark Appraisal as
Satisfactory’ and ‘Refer to PCO’’.
If the appraisal is satisfactory, the Appraiser will have to make declarations and
confirm certain actions have been completed. There is an initial checklist to tick-off:
1. Have you reviewed the whole portfolio and commented where appropriate.
2. Have you confirmed the outcomes from the last year’s PDPs and have you
completed the PDPs for the coming year.
3. Have you completed the form for summary action agreed (Form 4)?
Followed by these declarations: If No is answered for any of the declarations,
information advising why No was selected is to be entered in the general comments
text box.
1. An appraisal has taken place that reflects the Appraisee's scope of work as an
Appraiser and address the principles and values set out in Good Medical
Practice.
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2. Appropriate supporting information has been presented in accordance with
the Good Medical Practice Framework for appraisal and revalidation and this
reflects the nature and scope of the Appraisee’s work.
3. A review that demonstrates progress against last year’s personal
development plan has taken place.
4. An agreement has been reached with the Appraisee about a new personal
development plan and any associated actions for the coming year in their
role.
5. No information has been presented or discussed in the appraisal that raises a
concern about the Appraisee’s fitness to practise.
There are other questions available for the Appraiser to complete for information for
the Appraisee’s Responsible Officer:

The Appraiser should record any comments that will assist the Responsible
Officer to understand the reasons for the statements that have been made:
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
The Appraiser should record any other issues that the Responsible Officer
should be aware of that may be relevant to the revalidation
recommendation:

Has the doctor requested any additional information to be presented to the
Responsible Officer? Please enter details below.

General comments
There is one final declaration to be made before the Appraiser can sign off the
appraisal
If the Appraiser refers the appraisal to the Designated Body, the Appraiser will see
this screen to confirm that is the action to be taken:
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The Designated Body administrator will receive a message advising of this action and
the Designated Body will instigate their internal proceedings.
Appraisal completion – Appraisee accepting the appraisal outcome
After an ePortfolio has been marked as satisfactory, the Appraisee will be asked to
also make declarations about the appraisal and then accept the appraisal outcome
and finally, completing the post appraisal questionnaire.
Once the post appraisal questionnaire has been completed, the ePortfolio will be
reset to zero for the next appraisal year (note: the revalidation column will not
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accumulating credits until the Secretary of State for Health has signed the
commencement for Revalidation).
The Designated Body will receive copies of the post appraisal questionnaire, the
appraisal summary document and the changes log. The post appraisal questionnaire
and the appraisal summary will be used for quality assuring Appraisers with the Lead
Appraiser.
Appraisee undo appraisal sign off:
After the Appraiser has marked the appraisal as satisfactory, the Appraisee will be
presented with 2 options:
Selecting the ‘Undo Appraiser Sign Off’ will take the ePortfolio to pre-marked as
satisfactory
Revalidation
The revalidation journey
1. The Designated Body sets up the revalidation criteria:
i.
The first and last years of appraisals to be reviewed for revalidation (the
period for the revalidation cycle)
ii.
The Responsible Officer who will make the decision
iii.
The anticipated date that revalidation will take place
2. The Responsible Officer reviews the appraisal information available and makes
their recommendation
3. The GMC validates the recommendation and notifies the Designated Body
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4. The Designated Body notifies the Appraisee of the outcome and updates the
revalidation status in the Appraisee’s Revalidation ePortfolio
5. The next revalidation cycle commences and the process starts again.
Revalidation Column
Once the Designated Body has set up the revalidation criteria, the credits
accumulated in the revalidation period will be shown in the revalidation column. This
will only include credits for the appraisals within the revalidation period and will only
be calculated if the open ePortfolio is also within the revalidation period. Each area
has a required number of items for both an appraisal year and a revalidation cycle.
Each revalidation cycle may include any number of years and the number of
items/credits required per revalidation cycle for some areas will depend on the
number of appraisal years included in the revalidation cycle. For example, if 50
credits are required in an appraisal year and there are 3 appraisal years in a
revalidation cycle, 150 credits would be required for revalidation. The table below
shows the number required per appraisal year and also per revalidation cycle.
Total required per Total
Area
appraisal year
1: Personal Information
1
2: Exceptional Circumstances
0
3:
Pre-Appraisal
Documentation (and Historic)
50
5: PDP (and Historic)
1
per
revalidation cycle
1 professional role in the
revalidation cycle
N/A
1 per appraisal year in the
1
4: CPD (and Historic)
required
revalidation cycle
50 per appraisal year in the
revalidation cycle
1 per appraisal year in the
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revalidation cycle
6: Significant Events
7:
Quality
Improvement
Activity
2 per appraisal year in the
2
revalidation cycle
0
1 per revalidation cycle
1
8: Patient Feedback
0
(completed
feedback
patient
reflections)
per
revalidation cycle
1
9: Colleague Feedback
0
(completed
feedback
colleague
reflections)
per
revalidation cycle
10: Other Feedback
0
N/A
11: Complaints/Compliments
0
N/A
12: Appraisal Summary
0
1 per appraisal year in the
revalidation cycle
Credits traffic light indicator
The appraisal and revalidation status column will change colour based on the
number of credits that have been logged:

Grey = No credits are required

Red = No credits have been logged

Amber = partially achieved the required number of credits

Green = fully achieved the required number of credits
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Revalidation information
Revalidation period is displayed above the dashboard (this is only available once the
Designated Body has completed the set up).
When the Designated Body has allocated a Responsible Officer, the Appraisee will
receive an email notifying them that the allocation has been made and a message
will appear in the inbox. A link to the revalidation summary table will appear in the
menu on the left.
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Revalidation Overview
The Appraisee can see, at a glance, information on their current and historical
Revalidation including:

The name of the responsible officer

The appraisal period they will be or have been revalidation on

The date of revalidation
This information is not editable by the Appraisee. Only the Designated Body can
change the Responsible Officer, the appraisal period and the date of revalidation
(the date can also be changed by the Responsible Officer).
Responsible Officer requests for more information
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The Responsible Officer can send a request for more information to the Appraisee.
When a request has been made it will appear to the Appraisee below their
revalidation overview:
The Appraisee can then respond to the request for more information by clicking the
‘Respond’ button where the Appraisee can see the request made by the Responsible
Officer and then provide an answer and add attachments.
Once the Appraisee has responded, if the Responsible Officer needs more
information a new request for information must be made.
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Messages
The Revalidation ePortfolio contains a message area that enables the Designated
Body to send message to performers and also receive messages which are sent
following actions taken as part of the appraisal process.
Messages – Received Messages
A number of messages are automatically generated when actions are taken by
performers. These messages are anonymous and only accessible from within the
Revalidation ePortfolio. Examples messages are:

This is a message to notify you that [Appraisee] has accepted their appraisal
outcome. – This message is sent to an Appraiser when an Appraisee has
accepted their appraisal outcome.

[Appraiser] has requested a change to be made to your ePortfolio. – This
message is sent to an Appraisee when an Appraiser has used the Request a
Change function on a CPD or PDP item.

[appraise] has responded to your request to change their ePortfolio – This
message is sent to an Appraiser when an Appraisee has either accepted or
declined the Appraiser’s request to change a CPD or PDP item.

Dear Dr [Appraisee], This is a message to notify you that your Appraiser (Dr
[Appraiser]) has changed your appraisal date to [dd/mm/yyyy] and your PCO
has been informed. If this date is not convenient, please contact your PCO. –
This message is sent to an Appraisee when an Appraiser has changed the
appraisal date.

[Appraiser] has accepted the appraisal summary – This message is sent to a
Lead Appraiser when an Appraiser has accepted the summary of their
Appraiser appraisal.
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
Your Appraiser portfolio has been signed off by your Lead Appraiser. – This
message is sent to an Appraiser when a Lead Appraiser has signed off their
Appraiser portfolio.

Your Administrator password has been reset. – This message is sent to a
Designated Body administrator has changed their password.

The appraisal of Dr [Appraisee] has been marked as 'Refer to PCO' (as
opposed to satisfactory) by Dr [Appraiser] – This message is sent to a
Designated Body administrator when an Appraiser has marked an ePortfolio
‘Refer to PCO’.

Late Appraisal Notification, the appraisal of Dr [Appraisee] by Dr [Appraiser]
was set to take place on [dd-mm-yyyy] within the Revalidation ePortfolio. The
ePortfolio has been submitted to Dr [Appraiser] but has not yet been signed
off by both performers and remains open. According to guidance provided by
the Revalidation Support Team "An appraisal is considered to be completed
when the summary of the appraisal discussion and personal development
plan (PDP) have been signed off by Appraiser and Appraisee, within 28 days of
the appraisal meeting" – This message is sent to a Designated Body
administrator when an ePortfolio was submitted to an Appraiser more than
28 days previously but it hasn’t been signed off by the Appraiser.

Dear Dr [Appraisee], this is a message to notify you that Dr [Appraiser] has
signed off your appraisal portfolio. Please log into your ePortfolio to accept
the appraisal outcome and complete the post appraisal questionnaire. Only
once the appraisal outcome has been accepted and the post appraisal
questionnaire completed will the appraisal year of your ePortfolio be
completed and the new appraisal year begin. – This message is sent to
Appraisees to notify them that their Appraiser has signed off their ePortfolio
and they are to accept the appraisal outcome to be able to commence
collecting information for the next appraisal year.

This is a message to notify you that Dr [Appraisee] has submitted their
appraisal portfolio for you to review. – This message is sent to an Appraiser to
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notify them that their Appraisee has submitted their ePortfolio to them for
review.
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References, further reading and links
References
RCGP Guide to the Revalidation of General Practitioners (Version 7.0)
Further reading
Strengthening NHS Medical Appraisal to Support Revalidation in England: a proposal
paper for piloting from the NHS Revalidation Support Team London: NHS
Revalidation Support Team, 2009.
Links
The Revalidation Support Team home page shows a number of key links and articles.
The ‘resources’ tab goes to further links to all the main sites of interest. See
www.revalidationsupport.nhs.uk/.
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