Patient Colleague Feedback (PCF)

Patient Colleague Feedback (PCF): PCF is generally undertaken once in every revalidation cycle. This process is co-ordinated by the GP revalidation office at HSCB and the PCF is provided by the Beeches Leadership Centre who will generally contact appraisees about six months prior to their revalidation date. It is sometimes possible to undertake a PCF earlier than this and subject to capacity at the Beeches the PCF may be completed at any time within a five year revalidation cycle. To activate an early PCF the appraisee should contact the GP revalidation office at gprevalidation@hscni.net PCF should be discussed at appraisal during one of the appraisals in the 5 year cycle, this will usually be the final appraisal before the revalidation date but may be at an earlier appraisal if the PCF is available. A PCF carried out in another of the UK countries can be used for the purposes of revalidation provided that the PCF meets the GMC requirements for revalidation.

Timing of the Pre-revalidation Appraisal: The final appraisal before revalidation should ideally take place between five and nine weeks before the revalidation date. It is acknowledged however that there are times particularly for those with revalidation dates in April, May and June when an appraisal in January, February or March of the preceding appraisal year is necessary to ensure that all the processes associated with revalidation can be completed in a timely manner. Appraisees with a revalidation date after 1st July should generally have their pre-revalidation appraisal in the same appraisal year however the situation may arise whereby it is not possible for an appraisal to be completed in the timeframe available and an appraisal in the January, February or March of the preceding appraisal year may be required. In all cases the pre-revalidation appraisal should not be undertaken more than six months prior to the revalidation date.

Alternative PCF Tools

If you are revalidating, you will be offered the opportunity to complete Patient and Colleague Feedback (PCF) before your revalidation date.  Should you wish to undertake your PCF earlier in the revalidation cycle please contact Revalidation and Governance Support Office via the email address gprevalidation@hscni.net

(NB. Those GPs who have access to appropriate PCF completed within five years of their revalidation date will not always need to complete further surveys if the previous feedback is available for discussion at appraisal e.g. those doctors who have completed PCF as part of training).

This process is co-ordinated by HSCB and PCF is provided by the Leadership Centre.

It is important that your appraisal is used as a vehicle for discussion of the PCF completed.

You need to arrange your appraisal prior to your revalidation date at a time which ensures that patient colleague feedback is available for discussion at this appraisal.

Your appraiser does not know your revalidation date.

It is therefore imperative that you request your appraisal date whilst keeping this in mind.

Ideally your appraisal should be at least 5-9 weeks before your revalidation date.

If PCF is not available for discussion at appraisal and you are revalidating; then this may result in a non-engagement statement being made to the GMC by your responsible officer.

Please see the “Guidance on timing of appraisal before revalidation” section, above.