Performance Assessment
Introduction
All doctors registered in Ireland are legally required to maintain their professional competence through engaging in lifelong learning to keep their knowledge and skills up to date.
As the regulatory body, facilitating doctors to maintain their professional competence is a key aspect of how the Medical Council promotes and ensures good professional practice, which is centred on patient safety and quality of patient care. The Medical Council has established procedures and activities to assist it in performing this duty. These procedures include the Performance Assessment process.
The Performance Assessment process and activities assist the Medical Council in determining whether a registered medical practitioner has, and applies, the knowledge and skill that can reasonably be expected given the kind of medicine that he or she practises. In this way, the Medical Council protects the public and supports doctors in maintaining good professional practice.
A doctor may be referred for performance assessment following the consideration of a complaint made to the Medical Council. A referral may come from the Preliminary Proceedings Committee (by way of decision upon completion of an investigation or as an undertaking given to the PPC), the Fitness to Practise Committee (as an undertaking or condition of registration) or from Council (as a condition of registration).
If you would like to know more about Performance Assessment, please see the booklet: What to Expect from a Performance Assessment: Guidance for Doctors.
The Performance Assessment process
Performance Assessment is a proportionate, regulatory assessment for doctors. Its purpose is to provide an independent assessment of the practitioner's knowledge and skill, or application of knowledge and skill, or both, within the wider context of their practice. It seeks to identify areas for development and recommend actions to address them.
Arising from the assessment, the doctor will be required to address any areas for development deemed necessary to satisfy the Medical Council that they are maintaining and applying their knowledge and skill to a reasonable standard.
The assessment may look at the doctor’s practice as a whole, or it may take a more focused look at specific areas of practice. Depending on the activities directed, it may be necessary to notify an employer and/or an appropriate person in authority in a doctor’s workplace. The doctor will be notified in advance should we need to inform the workplace.
It is worth noting, Performance Assessment procedures and activities are not an investigation of the complaint which led to the referral (as the complaint is concluded upon referral). Furthermore, the assessment is intended to be a non-punitive, developmental process.
Registration and Continuing Practicing Committee
The Registration and Continuing Practice Committee (‘the RCPC’) of the Medical Council is the Committee responsible for overseeing each assessment. The Committee’s responsibilities include considering each case referred to Performance Assessment, directing which assessment activities are to be conducted, monitoring case progression and determining when the process can conclude.
Confidentiality
All information in connection with the various performance assessment activities is deemed confidential under Section 95 of the Act. Such information is carefully safeguarded by persons involved in or assisting the assessment procedures.
Helpful Resources & Guidance