Professional Development
Professional 3: Appraisal, revalidation and the useful portfolio
Prepare for annual appraisal and revalidation by maintaining a proportionate whole-practice portfolio built around reflection, improvement and credible evidence.
Clinical safety: Use current guidance, local policy and patient-specific judgement.
Learning objectives
Describe the purpose of annual appraisal within revalidation. Identify the principal categories of supporting information. Explain whole-practice scope and why evidence should be proportionate. Distinguish reflection from simple evidence accumulation. Prepare a focused PDP that can inform later development and job-planning discussions.
Core reading: a portfolio that supports a professional conversation
The appraisal portfolio should help an appraiser understand the doctor’s whole scope of practice, how they keep up to date, what they have learned, how they respond to feedback and events, and what development is planned. A larger portfolio is not automatically a better portfolio. Relevance, honesty, reflection and coverage matter more than volume. The GMC describes six types of supporting information across the revalidation cycle: continuing professional development; quality improvement activity; significant events; feedback from patients or people receiving medical services; feedback from colleagues; and compliments and complaints. The portfolio also needs a comprehensive description of the scope and nature of practice. Where a doctor works across more than one organisation or role, whole-practice appraisal means the portfolio should not quietly omit a material part of practice.
From evidence to reflection and PDP
Reflection should answer practical questions: what did this show; what changed in my understanding or practice; what remains uncertain; and what will I do next? It need not contain confidential patient detail. A useful PDP is limited enough to be achievable and important enough to matter. Objectives may relate to clinical capability, leadership, education, improvement, digital practice or career development. Where an objective needs protected time or a change in duties, the appraisal outcome can inform a later job-planning discussion, but appraisal itself does not rewrite the job plan.
