Medical Royal Colleges Revalidation Portfolio User Guide
Contents INTRODUCTION... 3 STARTING TO USE THE REVALIDATION PORTFOLIO... 4 HOME PAGE... 5 MANAGING YOUR PROFILE... 6 Changing designated body or responsible officer... 6 Granting administrative access... 7 Adding an appraiser... 8 YOUR SUPPORTING INFORMATION AND PORTFOLIO... 9 Managing your portfolio... 9 Getting help... 9 Health and Probity declarations... 9 Adding a single item of supporting information... 9 Uploading multiple items of supporting information... 14 Viewing Your Portfolio... 14 Exporting your portfolio... 15 Searching supporting information by title... 16 Searching supporting information by content... 16 YOUR APPRAISAL... 17 YOUR REVALIDATION... 20 Amending your revalidation cycle information... 20 Historical revalidation cycles... 21 APPRAISERS AND RESPONSIBLE OFFICERS... 22 Revalidation Portfolio User Guide Page 2 Version 4.2, May 2013
INTRODUCTION 1. The revalidation portfolio has been designed and built by a cohort of seven medical royal colleges and Equiniti 360 Clinical. The portfolio gives you an online tool to store and manage your supporting information for medical appraisal and revalidation. 2. The revalidation portfolio is free of charge to subscribing members and fellows of the participating colleges. Web based and personal to you, the portfolio is of benefit if you wish to manage and store your supporting information for appraisal and revalidation privately/outside of your organisation. It also moves with you if you change employment. It links with other college systems such as CPD diaries, avoiding the need for duplication. 3. The main modules of the revalidation portfolio are: Your profile Record your personal and professional details; Record your current scope of work; Nominate another person to access and administer the revalidation portfolio on your behalf; and Grant appropriate access levels to your appraiser and responsible officer (RO). Your portfolio and supporting information Upload your supporting information; Record your reflective notes Publish or export your portfolio ready for your appraisal; and Search your supporting information. Your appraisal Record previous appraisals conducted outside of the revalidation portfolio; and Track your progress in compiling information for your current appraisal. Your revalidation Collate your annual appraisals over a five year revalidation cycle; and Track your progress in compiling information for your revalidation. Appraisers and responsible officers Review your doctors portfolios for appraisal and revalidation. Help and support Access FAQs, key documents and contact information for help and support from your college. Revalidation Portfolio User Guide Page 3 Version 4.2, May 2013
STARTING TO USE THE REVALIDATION PORTFOLIO Logging on to the revalidation portfolio 4. The revalidation portfolio can be accessed via www.equiniti360.com. Your unique username and password will be emailed to you from lucy@equiniti ics.com when you first register. Your username and password should be kept confidential at all times. It is important to log off after each use, especially when using a shared computer. If you lose your username or password there are links on the log in page that you can use to receive email reminders. Confidentiality / Security 5. All entries in the revalidation portfolio should be anonymous and should contain no personally identifiable information about your patients or your colleagues. The revalidation portfolio has been through rigorous security checks to ensure the security of your data and identity. 6. The system allows you to choose who can view your portfolio; you always maintain full control over access to the information. You might select a nominee (for example, a secretary or PA) to help administer your portfolio. You will also be able to give viewing rights to your appraiser and RO, though you decide exactly what supporting information they can view and when. Feedback on the system 7. The revalidation portfolio has been extensively tested by a network of doctors across the UK. We welcome feedback and suggestions on how the portfolio might be further improved for users. Please contact your college helpdesk details are on the Help (Contact Us) screen. Revalidation Portfolio User Guide Page 4 Version 4.2, May 2013
HOME PAGE 8. The Home page displays announcements from your college and revalidation related news from organisations such as the GMC. The Home page also shows a summary of your progress in completing your profile and portfolio. Clicking on these will take you to the relevant modules in the revalidation portfolio. Home page screen Revalidation Portfolio User Guide Page 5 Version 4.2, May 2013
MANAGING YOUR PROFILE 9. The Profile section is where you maintain your personal and professional details. It also allows for the uploading of qualifications, job plan(s) and appraiser details. 10. Some of your details (name, date of birth, email address, GMC and college membership numbers) are provided via your college membership database as part of the secure registration and log in process for this system. It is not possible for you to alter these details in the revalidation portfolio. If any of these fields show incorrect information, click on the link at the bottom of the Personal Details screen. From here, you can update your details in your college membership database. Once changed, your details will be automatically updated in your revalidation portfolio profile (please note this process may not be completed on the same day). Personal details screen Changing designated body or responsible officer 11. If your designated body (normally where you carry out most of your practice) or RO changes, you need to email the details of this change to your college revalidation support desk these details are on the Contact Us screen under Help. Please state your name and GMC number in this email. Your profile will be amended to include the name of your new RO as soon as possible. You can amend your work address on the Professional Details screen. Record the deanery you now fall into and indicate whether you have any clinical and/or educational supervisory responsibilities in this new post. Revalidation Portfolio User Guide Page 6 Version 4.2, May 2013
Granting administrative access 12. At no point should you give your user name and password to anybody else. However, the revalidation portfolio allows you to grant full read and write access to another person to administer your portfolio on your behalf. This might, for example, be a secretary or PA. From the Additional Details screen of the Edit Profile pages, click on the address book icon to search for your administrator. It is likely that you will need to add their details (name and email address) do this via the Add Nominee button in the pop up box. While some users may find this a useful function, it is not mandatory. The portfolio remains your responsibility and you are ultimately in charge of the content that is loaded on to the system, so you need to ensure that any information submitted by someone else is accurate, appropriately categorised, and contains no personally identifiable information about your patients or colleagues. Adding additional details screen Revalidation Portfolio User Guide Page 7 Version 4.2, May 2013
Adding an appraiser 13. The final screen in the Profile section lets you add your appraisal details. Initially, the revalidation portfolio will automatically allocate you an appraisal date you should amend this date and enter an estimated date if you do not know your precise appraisal date. 14. You will then need to add the details of your main appraiser and any additional appraisers. The main appraiser will be the person who can, with your permission, view your portfolio of supporting information. Using the address book icon, search for your appraiser in the system. If your appraiser is found in the system highlight the correct name and press ok. If your appraiser is not found, click the Add Appraiser button to add an appraiser to the system. You will need to ensure you have certain information about your appraiser before completing their details: their full name and title, GMC number, designated body and email address. 15. Once you have added your appraiser details, click Finish and Publish. This will save your details, and also generate a default revalidation cycle (as long as you have entered an appraisal date). You can also indicate at this point whether you want your main appraiser and /or RO to be able to view your profile and portfolio of supporting information. Adding your appraisal details screen Revalidation Portfolio User Guide Page 8 Version 4.2, May 2013
YOUR SUPPORTING INFORMATION AND PORTFOLIO 16. The revalidation portfolio allows you to collect, store and manage the supporting information required for your annual appraisal andd revalidation. It also allows you to export this supporting information into an electronic file to send to your appraiser orr append to an electronicc appraisal form. Alternatively, with your permission, your mainn appraiser can view yourr revalidation portfolio online. Managing your portfolio 17. Your day to day professional practice includes many activities that you may wish to record as supporting information towards your appraisal and revalidation. It would therefore be good practice to upload your supporting information and enter your reflective notes over the course of the year. These notes can be editedd as your thinking changes over time or in light off new events. 18. Each time you review your portfolio, first refer to the My Progress section for a quick overview of what still needs to be completed. Before your appraisal, revieww which supporting information items you wish to submit to your appraiser, and set the statuss of those documents to published. Those documents you do not wish to submit to your appraiser should be given a status of draft. 19. Guidance on the supporting information requirements for appraisal and revalidation can c be found in GMC and college documents via the Help section inn the Revalidation Portfolio. Getting help 20. Advice and guidance notes for each supporting information item type (e.g. CPD, quality improvement activity) can be found on the Portfolio screen (see paragraph 23). These advice and guidance notess have been produced by your college for the specialty area you work in. Click on the blue symbol to access these guidance notes. Health and Probity declarations 21. Templates to make healthh and probityy self declarations have been b provided. They will enable you to declaree that you accept the professional obligations placed on you in Good Medical Practice about your personal health and probity by selecting the Yes declaration option. If you select No you will need to provide details as to the reasons why. 22. You should make your health and probity declarations just prior to your appraisal and add them as items of supporting information to your portfolio. Adding a single item of supporting information 23. To add an item of supporting information, click on Portfolio in the main menu bar. This will take you to the Your Portfolio screen with an option to uploadd your supporting information. Revalidation Portfolio User Guide Page 9 Version 4.2,, May 2013
Portfolioo overview screen 24. Each item of supporting information you upload needs its ownn record consisting of the following elements: Type of supporting information (e.g. quality improvement activity, a CPD); Title of supporting information record (free text field); Attached document (e.g. Word, PDF file); Reflective notes (free text t field); Attributes covered in Good Medical Practice framework, orr educational supervisors domain (these will be automaticall y mapped by the revalidation portfolio); Status of supporting information record (i.e. draft or published); and Valid from and retention dates (for future appraisals). Revalidation Portfolio User Guide Page 10 Version 4.2,, May 2013
Upload supporting information screen Type of supporting information 25. A drop down menu of supporting information types will appear. Selecting one of the options (e.g. Quality Improvementt Activity) will enable the system to bring b up the relevant guidance next to the reflective notes field and will also file the record correctly when saved. 26. You can choose Unfiled, create a supporting information record and come back later,, using the edit functions, to allocate a supporting information type. Title of supporting information record 27. Enter a title to help identify the supporting information recordd when listedd with other records in your portfolio, e.g. Theatres Audit Meeting Minutes, October 2012. Attaching a document 28. You can only attach one document filee (e.g. Word, PDF) for each supporting information record created. If there are more thann two documents, we suggest you combine or merge them and then upload as a single file. 29. You also have the option of NOT uploading an attached document when creating a supporting information record. This may be acceptable in some cases especially where the document cannot be uploaded (e.g. due to patient identifiable information) or does not exist in a Revalidation Portfolio User Guide Page 11 Version 4.2,, May 2013
documented form (e.g. compliments). In these cases you should enter sufficient details about this supporting information record in the reflective notes field. Reflective notes 30. Reflective notes should be insightful and demonstrate your analytical thinking, learning and forward action planning. Click on the large blue box next to the reflective notes field for guidance and prompts. You should enter your reflective notes as soon as possible after the activity or event the supporting information record is based on to ensure as much recollection and meaning as possible. You can always edit or add to these reflective notes over the course of the year as your thinking changes. It might also be a good idea to review, edit and tidy up your reflective notes before giving your appraiser access to your portfolio. Attributes: GMC attributes 31. By choosing a supporting information type (see paragraph 25) the revalidation portfolio will automatically map your supporting information record to the attributes in the GMC Good Medical Practice Framework for Appraisal and Revalidation. However, it is your responsibility to make sure you cover all the necessary GMC attributes and this can only be done through consideration of the content of your supporting information. Click on the green Review GMP Mapping button and if necessary un tick or tick the attribute boxes. Attributes: educational supervisor attributes 32. If you are an educational supervisor or involved in medical education or training you may have information in support of these roles, e.g. survey report on your teaching skills. If so, you can map this supporting information to the Education Supervisor Domains/Attributes. Viewing and editing GMP attributes and domains for a supporting information record Revalidation Portfolio User Guide Page 12 Version 4.2, May 2013
Status of supporting information record 33. You have the option of setting the status of your supporting information records as either draft or published. Any record set as published will be viewable by your appraiser (including any reflective notes) when you give him or her access to your revalidation portfolio. Supporting information set as draft will not be accessible to anyone else who might look at your portfolio. 34. You may want to initially set the status of your supporting information records as draft. You can opt to change the status from draft to published after a final review of your supporting information as part of the process in preparing for the annual appraisal. Valid and retention date 35. You will need to set a date valid from and retention period for each item of supporting information. The GMC has provided guidance as to minimum requirements for currency of supporting information and this is summarised below. This will help you in determining the supporting information you can include in your portfolio based on when the event or activity took place. GMC guidance on retention of supporting information GMC guidance Date Valid From Portfolio Retention Period Evidence of continuing professional development, review of significant events and review of complaints and compliments must relate to the 12 month period prior to the appraisal. If your appraisal is on 01/12/2013 your supporting information should only be based on activities or events that happened during the preceding 12 months. Only include supporting information based on activities occurring after 1 st December 2012 and set an accurate Document Valid From Date. Tick the To be used for the next appraisal only option. Evidence of regular participation in quality improvement activities that demonstrates the doctor reviews and evaluates the quality of their work must be considered at each appraisal. The activity should be relevant to the doctor s current scope of practice. NB: Involvement in quality improvement activities is expected at least once every revalidation cycle; the extent and frequency will depend on the nature of the activity and you should check the full GMC and college guidance on this area. Evidence of feedback from patients and colleagues must have been undertaken no earlier than five years prior to the first revalidation recommendation and be relevant to the doctor s current Same principle as above only include supporting information based on quality improvement activities occurring in the 12 months preceding your next appraisal and set an accurate Document Valid From Date. Only include supporting information based on a feedback exercise completed 5 years prior to your revalidation date and set an accurate Document Valid From Date If the quality improvement activity (e.g. case review) has been completed you should tick the To be used for the next appraisal only option. Some quality improvement activities are ongoing (e.g. participating in an audit cycle over two years or more). In which case, set a date for when the supporting information record should remain in my portfolio until based on when you think the activity will be completed. You should update this record when necessary for review at the annual appraisal. Once you have completed your patient or colleague feedback exercise you should tick the To be used for the next appraisal only option when creating a supporting information record. Revalidation Portfolio User Guide Page 13 Version 4.2, May 2013
scope of practice. NB: You are required to seek patient and colleague feedback using questionnaires that comply with GMC criteria at least once in a 5 year revalidation cycle. Alternatively, you have the option of presenting the supporting informationn at any future appraisal within your current revalidation cycle in which case enter a date for when it should remain in my portfolio until Uploading multiple items of supporting s information 36. After clicking the Upload Supporting Information button on the Portfolio screen you have the option to upload multiple documents at a time. Before doing so, it would be helpful if all the documents you want to t upload are saved in a single folderr on your computer. 37. On the Upload Multiple Documents screen (see screenshot below) click onn the Attach Document button. Select the t folder and documents saved on your y computer that you want to upload. If there are more documents to upload click again on the t Attach Document button. Unless all the documents are of one supporting information type (e.g. significant events) accept the Unfiled default option. Click on the Upload All Documents button. In the Portfolio Overview box you will notice that these documents are held under Supporting information to be filed this means you will need too edit these records, allocating a supporting information type, adding a title, reflective notes, etc. Uploading multiple documents Viewing Your Portfolio 38. Click on the Portfolio option in the main menu bar to see the supportingg information you have in your portfolio. 39. On the left hand side of the screen aree details of how much supporting information you have in each category and mapped to each of the attributes of the GMC G Good Medical Practice Framework for Appraisal and Revalidation. Revalidation Portfolio User Guide Page 14 Version 4.2,, May 2013
40. The left hand side menu also indicatess the amount of supporting information yet to be filed (i.e. allocated to a supporting information type, reflective notes required, etc). We suggest you should not let the to be filed supporting information build upp and file thiss information regularly by clicking on the Edit/File button. 41. In the box on the right hand side of the screen you can arrange your supporting information by title, type, status or expiry date by clicking on the column headings. h Exporting your portfolio 42. The revalidation portfolio allows you to export the supporting informationn held in an appraisal period. To do this, in the Your Portfolio screen, click on Export Portfolio and choose which records you wish to export (all recordss or just published ). Youu can also choose the format for exporting supporting information the Export for printing option will provide a PDF summary s of your portfolio with mapping to the GMP domains and attributes. After clicking OK, you will be notified by email when the zip file is created and ready for download. After you receive the email, go to the My Account sectionn on the top menu bar and downloadd your export file. Exporting your portfolio Revalidation Portfolio User Guide Page 15 Version 4.2,, May 2013
Searching supporting information by title 43. The revalidation portfolio offers you various search options regarding your supporting information. By clicking on the Search Portfolio function under Portfolio you can conduct a simple search of your supporting information based on the title of the item you have previously uploaded. Choose a supporting information type, the status of the information you are looking for (draft or published), the date range and a title (or part of the title). The results will be displayed in the results box below. Searching your supporting information by title Searching supporting information by content 44. The second type of search available on the revalidation portfolio allows you to search the content of your supporting information documents by specific words or phrases. Click on the Search Portfolio Documents (Advanced) function under Portfolio and choose your keywords to search for. The system will then search the content of your supporting information for those keywords and display the results in the box below. Revalidation Portfolio User Guide Page 16 Version 4.2, May 2013
YOUR APPRAISAL 45. When you first login to the system and set up your profile you will be asked to enter details about your next appraisal (see paragraph 13). These details will also appear in your Current Appraisal screen under the Appraisal section. Current Appraisal refers to the appraisal you are currently working towards. Appraisal preparation screen (1) Appraiser details 46. You should ensure your appraiser s details are entered on the system (see paragraph 13). 47. Ticking the box to allow your appraiser and/or RO access to your portfolio will allow them to view a modified version of your Home page, your profile, your portfolio (published supporting information documents and your reflections on them), your current appraisal and appraisal history screens, and the help module. 48. Once you have completed the details above save the information using the Save these details button. 49. The system does not email your appraiser to tell them they have read only access to view your account until you tick the box to allow them access to your portfolio and save the details. At that point the individual is sent an email stating they have been granted access to your portfolio as your appraiser so it is a good idea to mention this to the individual in advance. The same applies to access for your RO. Revalidation Portfolio User Guide Page 17 Version 4.2, May 2013
50. If you are appraised by other appraisers you can add the details on this screen. However the system will only allow the main appraiser to access your portfolio. Recording the names of other appraisers is for a record of the appraisal. To provide your revalidation portfolio to additional appraisers you will need to export your portfolio and send it to them separately e.g. via email (see paragraph 42). 51. The second section of the Current Appraisal screen allows you to view a summary of the types of supporting information you have already allocated to this appraisal, or to view the scope of work you have described for this appraisal. 52. When reviewing the appraisal summary checklist, remember that Completed only means that you have included a piece of supporting information under the category indicated. You should discuss with your appraiser in advance of your appraisal what supporting information is expected as part of your appraisal portfolio. Appraisal preparation screen (2) 53. The green Complete Appraisal Cycle button should only be used once your appraisal has taken place and been signed off by both you and your appraiser and you are ready to upload the appraisal outcome into the system. 54. When you click this button your current appraisal will become a past appraisal and the details on the Current Appraisal screen will be reset to an automatic appraisal date one year in the future and the rest of the details on the screen will be blank ready for you to enter the new information. Appraisal History 55. Click on Appraisal History on the drop down list in the Appraisal section. At the top is your current Revalidation Cycle, which should automatically be highlighted by the system. Revalidation Portfolio User Guide Page 18 Version 4.2, May 2013
Adding previous appraisal details screen s 56. To add previous appraisals that are relevant to your current Revalidation Cycle click on Add New Record under Previous Appraisals and enter the requested details. Under Appraisal Type you will either see RP or Other. RP means thatt for that particular appraisal you used the revalidation portfolio to record and reflect upon your supporting information. Other describes an appraisal that took place prior to use of the revalidation portfolio. 57. To add an appraisal outpu document (such as a Form 4 or appraisal summary) ensuree you have selected the relevant appraisal inn the Previous Appraisal Section of the screen and click on Add New Record in the Appraisal Output Documents section of the screen. 58. Select the correct document type from the drop down menu, upload your r document and press OK. Revalidation Portfolio User Guide Page 19 Version 4.2,, May 2013
YOUR REVALIDATION Maintain revalidation cycles 59. The revalidation portfolio allows you to collect supporting information for r annual appraisal and organisess this information into five year revalidation cycles. By collecting annual appraisal documents (to be shared with your appraiser), this contributes to a full revalidation portfolio (which can be shared with your RO). 60. When you first log into your revalidation portfolioo and go to the Revalidation section, the start date for your first revalidation cycle and estimated next revalidation r date will have been set to a system default, ass long as youu have clicked Finish and Publish for your profile information. 61. Both of these dates are likely to be incorrect for you. The cyclee start date and estimated next revalidation date may be affected by your own and your organisation s readiness in collecting the required supporting information. So, after entering your profile information, consult with your appraiser or RO to determine thee correct start date for your revalidation cycle. This will vary depending upon how many previous appraisal records your appraiserr or RO require you to supply them with at the point of revalidation. For example, some may ask you to go back one year, others may ask you to go back longer. 62. If you have not been notified of your revalidation date either by b your RO or the GMC, you can set the date in your portfolio to a provisional future revalidation date. Once the GMC has confirmed your future revalidation date, you can update the estimated e next revalidation date. 63. Setting the cycle start date and estimated next revalidation date is important in setting up and making best use of your revalidation portfolio, e.g. in determining how farr back to go in i recording your appraisal history and uploading supporting information forr your next appraisal. Amending your revalidation cycle information 64. You can amend your existing revalidation cycle dates by using the edit function on the revalidation cycles screen under Revalidation. Maintainn revalidation cycle screen Revalidation Portfolio User Guide Page 20 Version 4.2,, May 2013
65. If you have been told your actual revalidation date by the GMC, but that date has not yet been reached, you must only enter that date in the estimated next revalidation cycle date field for now and leave the Revalidation Date blank. 66. Only once you have been revalidated, should you put the actual revalidation date in the Revalidation Date field. This is because entering a date in this field will close and lock your current, open revalidation cycle and create a new open revalidation cycle automatically. The start date of the new cycle will automatically be the day after the last revalidation cycle was closed. The estimated next revalidation date should be adjusted to be five years in the future (but you can change this date if your future revalidation date changes for any reason). Any appraisals completed during the now closed revalidation cycle will then be pulled into a historical record which you can choose to export via the Appraisal History screen. Any supporting information and appraisals completed during the new open cycle can also be viewed in the Appraisal History screen (see screenshot above paragraph 56). 67. The revalidation module also allows you an overview of the supporting information documentation you have collated for current and previous appraisal periods in your current, open revalidation cycle. Go to the Revalidation Overview screen and click on view portfolio in a particular appraisal year to access a read only version of your portfolio contents for that appraisal period. Revalidation overview screen Historical revalidation cycles 68. Please note historical revalidation cycles are only kept in the system for two complete cycles. Therefore if you have an open cycle and two closed revalidation cycles in the system, the system will email you to ask you to export the oldest closed cycle from the system. You have 60 days in which to export the information. If you do not export the oldest revalidation cycle, the information will be deleted and you will no longer have access to it. Revalidation Portfolio User Guide Page 21 Version 4.2, May 2013
APPRAISERS AND RESPONSIBLE OFFICERS 69. The My Doctors section is an additional screen seen by an appraiser or RO who has a revalidation portfolio account and has been given access to view the accounts of doctors for whom they are responsible. A doctor will be able to select their appraiser either when they complete their profile or within the appraisal preparation screen. Doctors will only appear in the My Appraisees screen if they have indicated (via the tick box) that their appraiser and / or RO are allowed to view their account. From this screen, an appraiser can access a read only version of the profile, portfolio and appraisal preparation pages of the selected appraisee. The appraiser will also only be able to view supporting information which the appraisee has specified is published ; any draft supporting information will not be visible to an appraiser or a RO. The individual doctor retains control over who see what elements of their supporting information and when. Viewing of doctors by appraisers screen 70. The process is similar for the RO. Again, the RO will only be able to see published supporting information in the portfolio of their doctors, along with their profile sections. The RO will not be able to make any amendments to the supporting information of the doctors for whom they are responsible. Revalidation Portfolio User Guide Page 22 Version 4.2, May 2013
HELP AND SUPPORT 71. The Help section provides guidance on how to use the system, links to appraisal and revalidation guidance, and the revalidation portfolio terms of use and privacy policy. The content and documents displayed in Help will depend on which college you belong to. 72. On the Contact Us screen there are contact details for your college portfolio administrator this is your first port of call should you have any queries. Main Help screen Revalidation Portfolio User Guide Page 23 Version 4.2, May 2013