GP locums find NHS appraisal tough, so NASGP today launches AppraisalAid, a unique suite of information and locum-specific templates to complement existing so-called appraisal ‘toolkits’.
AppraisalAid will help freelance locum GPs to improve the quality of care they provide for patients, and record this as evidence for their annual NHS appraisal.
NHS appraisal for general practitioners has been largely geared towards practice-based GPs, partly because they have traditionally formed the largest number of GPs, but also because they already work in a supportive environment.
But GP locums will often work in over 30 different practices every year, are professionally isolated and largely unsupported, with up to 17,000 of us working in the UK.
Dr Sara Chambers, NASGP’s appraisal lead and a locum GP herself, said “AppraisalAid is a comprehensive appraisal resource, giving both helpful advice and also very practical methods to actually perform appraisal activities and gather the resultant evidence. It very much complements other appraisal toolkits, which tend to focus more on the display of appraisal evidence to appraisers rather than actually helping in the actual activities of gathering this evidence.”
“It’s been developed by locum GPs for locums GPs, incorporating best practice from health organisations around the UK as well as the day-to-day experience of working as a GP in a wide range of practices.”
NASGP’s AppraisalAid guidance and templates will be of very practical use to GP partners and salaried GPs alike, and is free of charge to NASGP members, with monthly membership at £8 per month.