Specialty School of Obstetrics and Gynaecology

London Deanery
Stewart House
32 Russell Square
London
WC1B 5DN 
Tel: 020 7866 3100

Head of School; Diana Hamilton-Fairley

e-mail: dhfairley@londondeanery.ac.uk

Tel 020 7188 3734

MWO: Nadia Chattaway

e-mail: nchattaway@londondeanery.ac.uk

Tel.020 7866 3135

30 th Jan 2008

Dear Specialist Trainee, FTSTA, LAT

Re: ARCP Process

I am very much aware of the changing times we are currently in with the new O+G curriculum and hope that this information about your forthcoming Annual Review of Competence Progress (ARCP) may help a little. This letter appliesto all trainees using the new training portfolio published in 2007.


You should by now:

  1)     have a named Educational Supervisor either the College Tutor or   another Consultant within the department

  2)   have a Training Portfolio from the College    http://www.rcog.org.uk/index.asp?PageID=1959 )
  3)    have undergone an induction appraisal during which you should have started   Section 4 and used the induction appraisal forms in Section 5
  4)   started using the OSATs forms and hopefully completed   5 sign offs indicating   independent practice for certain procedures (at ST2 level)
  5)    done some CbD and miniCEX forms ( around history taking, examination   skills, management decisions, communication and professionalism)
  6)   organised to attend a College accredited Basic Surgical Skills course &   at ST2   level sat and passed the Part 1 MRCOG

You must arrange to meet with your Educational Supervisor in March to complete your Annual Assessment Review Form (section 4) as we are planning the Annual Review of Competency Panel (ARCP) at the end of April. The educational supervisor will list the evidence you present (and no. of forms) in the relevant boxes on the ARCP Summary form to back up their view as to whether or not you are making adequate progress.

Within the curriculum it states that the trainee with the Educational Supervisor decides on 10 people to fill in the TO1 and the trainee is responsible for distributing these forms which should be returned completed to the educational supervisor (information within section 1).   The trainee needs 10 returned forms so probably best to send them to at least 15 people. The person filling it in need not put their name on the form but should put what role they play within the department / Trust.

The Annual Assessment Review form needs to be countersigned by the College Tutor and put in the trainee's portfolio with the completed T02 form. The College Tutor needs to hold a copy of the Annual Assessment Review form and the TO2 form.

In order to help you accumulate the necessary evidence to show your educational supervisor and recognising that this is a new process I have indicated below what assessments we would expect as a minimum and any other essential information at each level:

1)        OSATs - we are expecting a minimum level of 1 signed off at ST1 and   2   competencies showing progress. At ST2 you will require low complexity   Caesarean Section, ventouse and manual removal signed off as a minimum.
 2)       Mini CEX & CbD assessments – I would expect at ST1, 1 miniCex     signed off (10 forms) and 2 in progress and the same for the CbD (6 forms)    BUT ensuring that history taking & examination in both Obstetrics &   Gynaecology is signed off as competent during the ST1 year. At ST2, Module   1 needs to be completed (this includes history and examination skills) and   this would require CbDs and miniCEx to be done. To complete Module 1 you   also have to have done the Basic Surgical Skills Course . Thus Module 1 is   crucial for progression to ST3.

3) Reflective Practice ; You should present at least 1 case where you have   shown reflective practice which can be either obstetrics or gynaecology.   Audits and guideline development, presentations etc should be referred to in   the relevant modules or in the final box of the form.

4)       Part 1 MRCOG – must be completed to progress to ST3

  The forms are all on the RCOG website (above) under assessment tools.

If there are concerns and your supervisor feels you can't be signed off to progress to the next year of training or there is a disagreement between you please sign the relevant box and contact your training programme director who will discuss with Diana Hamilton-Fairley as Head of London Specialty School or Greg Ward as Associate Dean for O&G.

In April / May you will be asked to attend the ARC Panel with your completed

We will be asking College Tutors & Educational supervisors to attend this Panel and each trainee will meet 2 Consultant Educators to review their paperwork and training portfolio, they will also meet with the Training Programme Director for their area (South / KSS, North West, North East, North Central), to discuss their rotations, a Career's Advisor (for the FTSTAs and LATs) and have their Annual Assessment Outcome Form completed by Diana Hamilton-Fairley, or Greg Ward (a copy will be sent to the RCOG Specialty Education Committee).

Dates of the ARC Panel are ST1 24 th April 2008, ST2 2 nd May 2008 . This includes all FTSTAs and LATs at these levels.

I am aware that this is a new process and that this letter will provoke a flurry of activity around assessments. I hope that next year the assessments will be more spread out across the year so it is not such a large amount of work concentrated into a small amount of time. Please remember that the assessments can be done by other trainees at a higher level than you including midwives, nurses and ultrasonographers. All assessments should be included.

With best wishes

Diana Hamilton-Fairley MD, FRCOG

Head of Specialty School O&G