Welcome to the NHS Revalidation Support Team (RST)

Testing and Piloting 2011-12

The RST will undertake a number of projects and pilots in different healthcare settings in 2011-12. These will be designed and managed by the RST, working alongside an academic partner, the University of Durham, who will provide external scrutiny and challenge to the work. The successful pilot applicants have recently been notified. Please download the Testing and Piloting project plan for further detail.

The Projects

The projects will consider specific components of the revalidation process to inform the development of the Medical Appraisal Guide and work on Organisational Readiness. The project methodology will be based on an interactive action research based process, which will allow RST and its partners to apply a flexible and practical approach to testing. This approach will also ensure that results can be produced in a timescale that allows integration with the RST’s work programme. Please see the following document for further detail on these projects:

Study descriptions

The Pilots

A model of the Medical Appraisal Guide will be available from October 2011 and will be piloted in a number of different healthcare settings. This stage of piloting will include:

• Locum doctors
• Staff and associate specialist doctors
• Doctors working in the independent sector
• Doctors in training
• NHS doctors (primary, secondary and mental health settings)
• Clinical academics

The pilots will primarily consider whether the Medical Appraisal Guide can be used by the doctors in that pilot. The report from each pilot may make recommendations for further enhancements to the Medical Appraisal Guide.

The evaluation will further develop the findings from the Pathfinder pilots to inform the business case for revalidation. The RST will carefully consider the economic impact of revalidation and will work closely with the Department of Health (DH) and the University of Durham to consider cost benefits of all aspects of the programme as well as the wider issues to inform the business case for revalidation.

Sites were recruited in May 2011. Training and projects also commenced at this stage. Actual appraisals will take place between October and December to allow for an analysis and evaluation of the results before March 2012. Please download this document for a full list and description of the pilot sites for 2011/12:
 

Pilot descriptions 2011/12

Appraisal form for piloting (Oct 2011)
 

If you have any questions relating to Testing and Piloting, please contact Sophie Mayo, Senior Project Officer, at Sophie.Mayo@rst.nhs.uk.