Imagine if you will, a thought experiment. You find yourself in the rather delicate situation of receiving 360 degree feedback confirming that 68% of your colleagues do not consider you to be a competent GP, and patient feedback stating that 58% of your patients are not happy with the care you have provided.
You have an opportunity to be heard
You make the decision that for the purposes of appraisal, this data would be best represented as 32% of your colleagues think that you are a competent GP and 42% of your patients are happy with your care.
In your deluded state, you might be quite affronted that your appraiser is critical of your interpretation of this data, and shocked to hear of your appraiser’s concerns that you seem to be worryingly out of touch with reality.
Although this is merely a thought experiment, quite amazingly this is exactly how the GMC have chosen to interpret theinterim data of the UMbRELLA study, an independent qualitative research project commissioned by the GMC to investigate the impact of appraisal and revalidation, following their introduction in 2012 in the wake of Shipman.
I volunteered to take part in the UMbRELLA study in the hope that I would be able to represent the collective pain of the profession as a direct result of this self-serving GMC bureaucratic process; I wanted to use the opportunity of this qualitative research project to express my opinion that the GMC were simply ‘doing harm’ and forcing early retirement of competent GPs who quite understandably where not able to tolerate the stress and futility of the revalidation cycle as it presently stands.
I would urge all Pulse readers for whom this description of appraisals resonates, to take a look at the GMC website to see for themselves the GMC spin, and the comments of all of the doctors who are sick and tired of this process and not willing to put up with it any longer.
If this applies to you, I am writing to inform you that you have a voice. You have an opportunity to be heard. Please make the most of this chance and post your comment on the GMC website here and add to the 330+ unanimously critical posts. One would hope that the GMC has no option but to ‘reflect’ in these circumstances and radically overhaul the appraisal and revalidation process so that it resembles something fit for purpose.
