NHS England on appraisals during Covid-19
In a letter sent on 19 March to GPs and commissioners, NHS England said it ‘strongly recommended’ that appraisals are suspended.
The letter said:
‘We strongly recommend that appraisals are suspended, unless there are exceptional circumstances agreed by both the appraisee and appraiser.
‘This should immediately increase capacity in our workforce by allowing appraisers to return to clinical practice.
‘Until reinstated, responsible officers should classify appraisals which are affected as ‘approved missed’ appraisals.
‘For clarity, affected appraisals will be regarded as cancelled, not postponed.
‘Separate advice on revalidation is being issued. In the meantime, for those doctors where appraisal has been cancelled and a recommendation is due, responsible officers are reminded that they may make a positive recommendation if the required supporting information has otherwise been presented earlier in the doctor’s revalidation cycle.
‘At the same time, if needed, doctors can be reassured that deferral is a neutral act and has no impact on their ability to practice as normal.’
Source: NHS England, Next steps on general practice response to Covid-19: 19 March 2020 [sent on 19 March]
