These frequently asked questions are updated regularly. Here you will find answers to a range of common questions we are often asked about our organisation and the services we deliver.
We are part of NHS Resolution. We support the resolution of performance concerns about individual doctors, dentists and pharmacists.
Our assessment services are aimed at clarifying and understanding the performance of individual practitioners and providing healthcare organisations and practitioners with a sound basis upon which to bring the case towards a resolution. Assessments are not an end point in themselves, but are a valuable tool to support the effective management of cases locally.
Assessments are not an investigation of the incidents which may have led to the referral to us.
The employing/contracting organisation will normally have asked for, and received, advice from us on how to manage the concern with the practitioner. As part of that process they will have been told about the assessments and other interventions available and will have then decided to request an assessment.
Requests for assessment are considered by our Intervention Consideration Group in line with our published policy and a formal decision to accept or decline the request will then be issued. We need the agreement of both the employing/contracting organisation and the practitioner before we can consider such a request.
If the request for an assessment is approved then we draw up an ‘agreement to assessment’ which sets out the purpose of the assessment and explains how the assessment will be carried out. It also sets out the responsibilities of Practitioner Performance Advice, the practitioner and the employing/contracting organisation with regard to the assessment.
We will not be able to proceed with the assessment until the agreement to assessment has been signed by both the practitioner and employing/contracting organisation to confirm their commitment to the process.
Clinical Performance Assessment
The purpose of a Clinical Performance Assessment is to provide an independent view on the clinical performance of the practitioner, identifying both satisfactory practice and any areas of poor practice.
The assessment is intended to provide information to assist the referring organisation in decisions about the next steps in their management of the case.
Behavioural Assessment
A Behavioural Assessment provides an independent view on the behavioural characteristics of the practitioner, including any areas which require consideration.
The assessment is intended to provide information to assist the referring organisation in decisions about the next steps in their management of the case.
Clinical Performance Assessment
The assessment is carried out through a clinical assessment visit by a trained team of two clinical assessors and a Senior Assessment and Remediation Manager. It includes:
Clinical record review: of a sample of patient records.
Direct observation of practice: the practitioner’s normal clinical work.
Case-based assessment: exploring clinical reasoning and decision-making about the practitioner’s own cases.
Clinical assessors will have relevant clinical experience in the practitioner’s speciality, be familiar with the standards relating to their clinical specialty and be able to apply them to assess the performance of a peer. We also ensure that they are in good standing with the relevant professional bodies and regulators.
Behavioural Assessment
The assessment includes:
The practitioner completing three online psychometric questionnaires (the Revised NEO Personality Inventory, the Hogan Development Survey and the Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory).
The practitioner attending an interview with a behavioural assessor (an occupational psychologist), during which the assessor asks a range of questions about the practitioner’s work, including: what they do in their job, which aspects they enjoy most and least, how they approach the different aspects and demands of their role etc. The interview is conducted remotely, via videoconference, in two sessions of around two to three hours each. After the first session, the psychologist usually gives initial feedback to the practitioner.
Practitioner Performance Advice produces an assessment report which will provide the employing/contracting organisation with clear findings and conclusions about the practitioner’s level of performance (for clinical practice assessments) and with an independent view on the behavioural characteristics of the practitioner, including any areas which require consideration (behavioural assessments).
We are available to offer advice and recommendations to employing/contracting organisations on next steps after the assessment. This can include asking our Professional Support and Remediation service to prepare an action plan to support a practitioner’s return to safe and effective practice (for clinical performance assessments) and to help consideration of behavioural issues (for behavioural assessments).
We recognise that where questions have been raised about a practitioner’s work, this can be a very stressful experience for the individual concerned. We are committed to ensuring the services we offer and the way we deliver our services are sensitive to the impact on the individual about whom questions have been raised.
We always recommend that practitioners access appropriate and timely professional support through their defence organisation or other representative body. We would also encourage practitioners to draw on personal support that is available to them, for example, through friends or family.
The practitioner’s General Practitioner can also be an important source of support.
It also worth remembering that support is available through the healthcare organisation, for example, through its local occupational health and counselling services. More avenues of support may be available locally or accessed through the relevant Royal College.
Our website also contains details of organisations that may be of use to practitioners – please see the link below:
Each case has an assigned Case Adviser who is available to speak to the practitioner and to the employing/contracting organisation about any matters relating to the case and to answer any questions about our services. If you wish to speak to the Case Adviser, please call 020 7811 2600 or email nhsr.advice@nhs.net.
If you have any questions about the assessment process itself, you can email: nhsr.assessment@nhs.net.
For further information on our assessments, please click on the following links:
This site uses cookies. Some of these cookies are necessary to make this website work. We'd also like to use analytics cookies. These send anonymous information about how our site is used to a service called Google Analytics. We use this information to improve our website. You can help us improve our online experience by accepting analytics cookies. Find out more about our Privacy and Cookie policies.
