ARCP is an Annual Review of Competence Progression. This is a process whereby both F1 and F2 doctors have the evidence of their progress reviewed by an appropriately convened panel so that a judgement about their progress can be made and transmitted to the Foundation School Director, the doctor’s employer and the doctor directly.
- Guide to the Foundation ARCP Process – 2017
- ARCP Checklist F1 2020
- ARCP Checklist F2 2020
- Clinical Audit Summary Form
- Foundation Absence Declaration
The following tools are used as learning opportunities in the Foundation Programme:
- Mini-clinical Evaluation Exercise (mini-CEX)
- Direct Observation of Procedural Skills (DOPS)
- Case-based Discussion (CbD)
- Developing the Clinical Teacher.
These are part of a group of educational tools called supervised learning events (SLEs). Please refer to SLE guidance (Section 5) for further details on these tools.
Formal assessment will occur at the end of each placement and at the end of each year. The clinical supervisor and the educational supervisor will prepare reports on the foundation doctor’s performance in the workplace. The reports will be informed by review of the foundation doctor’s e-portfolio including consideration of completion of core procedures (F1), team assessment of behaviour (TAB) and feedback from the placement supervision group.
What is the Placement Supervision Group?
- Doctors more senior than F2, including at least one consultant or GP principal
- Senior nurses (band 5 or above)
- Allied health professionals.
The Placement Supervision Group is responsible for:
- observing the foundation doctor’s performance in the workplace
- providing feedback on practice to the foundation doctor
- providing structured feedback to the named clinical supervisor
- undertaking and facilitating supervised learning events (SLEs).
What do assessments entail?
What do the different assessment tools do?
Core Procedures
The core procedures from F1 do not need to be repeated in F2, but evidence of the F1 sign off is required for successful completion of theFoundationProgramme. It should also be recognised that with practice, the doctor will be expected to demonstrate continuing improvement of skills in whichever procedure they perform, within the spiral curriculum framework.
Team assessment of behaviour (TAB)
Prior to inviting raters to contribute to the TAB process, foundation doctors must complete a self-assessment of behaviour (self-TAB). This includes reflection of their own performance.
TAB comprises collated views from a range of multi-professional colleagues. The same sections are used in both the self-assessment and the rater-completed forms
- TAB must take place at least once a year. Deaneries/foundation schools have the option of increasing the frequency
- It is suggested that both F1 and F2 TAB is taken in the last month of the first placement during the year. If there are significant concerns about any foundation doctor, TAB should be repeated. This will be with designated respondents.
- For each assessment, the foundation doctor and the educational supervisor should agree 15 raters/assessors. A minimum of 10 returns are required. No other foundation doctor can be a rater.
The required mix of raters/assessors must include at least two of each of the following:
- Doctors more senior than F2, including at least one consultant or GP principal
- Senior nurses (band 5 or above)
- Allied health professionals
- Other team members including ward clerks, secretaries and other healthcare staff.
Following TAB, the foundation doctor should reflect on any sections in which there is variance between their self rating and that of the assessors. The doctor should discuss significant discrepancies with their educational supervisor.
End of placement reports
- clinical supervisor’s end of placement report
- educational supervisor’s end of placement report
The clinical supervisor’s end of placement report describes the foundation doctor’s performance in the workplace. The educational supervisor’s report incorporates the information contained in the clinical supervisor’s report and includes information from the e-portfolio.
If the educational and clinical supervisors are one and the same, then the educational supervisor will be responsible for the sections that are usually covered in the clinical supervisor’s report.
Clinical supervisor’s end of placement report
The clinical supervisor’s report should comment specifically on:
- Any noteworthy aspect of performance
- Any concerns regarding performance
- Comments on participation in the agreed educational process
- Evidence of professional development as a result of feedback and reflection.
The clinical supervisor should seek and record evidence from the Placement Supervision Group to corroborate each of the above. The names of those contributing evidence on performance is recorded in the report.
The outcome of the final assessment discussion should be agreed by both the foundation doctor and the clinical supervisor and recorded in the e-portfolio as part of the clinical supervisor’s end of placement report.
Educational supervisor’s end of placement report
Whilst engagement with SLEs and evidence of curriculum coverage will be taken into account, the overall judgement will include a triangulated view of the foundation doctor’s day to day work performance. This will include the foundation doctor’s participation in, and attendance at, educational activities, appraisals, the learning process and recording of this in the e-portfolio.
The outcome of the final assessment discussion should be agreed by both the foundation doctor and the educational supervisor and recorded in the e-portfolio as part of the educational supervisor’s end of placement report.