The Assessment and Remediation team plan, coordinate and quality assure a range of assessments for doctors, dentists, and pharmacists to assist employing and contracting organisations in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (primary and second care) to progress cases to a timely and fair resolution. These include clinical performance and behavioural assessments as well as team reviews. The team work alongside clinicians who are contracted by the department as assessors or associates, to assist in providing expert advice and lead on these assessments.
The team also develop targeted action plans for practitioners who have been identified as needing support to assist with remediation or reskilling after a lengthy absence. Action plans provide a programme of support, learning opportunities, experience and feedback based on the individual needs of the practitioner and wider service requirements. Each action plan is based on information provided by the practitioner and healthcare organisation, and the desired outcome.
The following roles support in the delivery of Assessment and Remediations core services.
Lead Assessment and Remediation Adviser
The Lead Assessment and Remediation Adviser (LARA) provides overall leadership and assurance of our assessment and remediation services to support the resolution of concerns about practitioner performance. The LARA ensures that suitable assessment methods are used in assessments and interventions, assures the quality of assessment reports, and leads the ongoing development and evaluation of our assessment and remediation work.
Assessment and Remediation Adviser
The Assessment and Remediation Adviser (ARA) is responsible for advising on methodology for clinical and behavioural assessments, as well as remediation and return to work action plans. The ARA undertakes quality assurance for these work streams to ensure that the processes and products are robust. Additionally, the ARA leads on various staff training and service development initiatives.
Team Leader
The Team Leader is responsible for the operational delivery of the Assessment, Professional Support and Remediation and Team Review services and works closely with the Lead Assessment and Remediation Adviser, Assessment and Remediation Adviser, Senior Assessment and Remediation Managers and Assessment and Remediation Managers to ensure that the team delivers these services to a high quality in a timely way. The Team Leader is the line manager to the SARMs and advises them on case management issues. In addition, the Team Leader is responsible for planning and managing the Assessment and Remediation team budget, producing monthly reports around delivery and performance, monitoring KPI compliance in the team and the day-to-day management of contracts with external suppliers of services to the team.
Senior Assessment and Remediation Managers
Senior Assessment and Remediation Managers (SARM) primarily plan and manage assessments of individual clinical practitioners, who have been referred to the service following concerns about their performance. This involves planning the assessment, attending onsite visits with clinical assessors and then working with assessors and senior members of the A&R team to produce a robust report, which sets out the findings and conclusions of the assessment.
SARMs are also responsible for developing targeted action plans for practitioners who have been identified as needing support to assist with remediation or reskilling after a lengthy absence. Action plans provide a programme of support, learning opportunities, experience and feedback based on the individual needs of the practitioner and wider service requirements. SARMS have line management responsibilities for Assessment and Remediation Managers (ARM) and at times are required to contribute to departmental/organisational directives through targeted project work.
Assessment and Remediation Managers
Assessment and Remediation Managers (ARM) manage requests the Assessment and Remediation team receive from healthcare organisations, checking and preparing case files for consideration by a committee of senior staff (Intervention Consideration Group). The ARM then makes the arrangements for any assessments that the service offers, working closely with Senior Assessment and Remediation Managers (SARM) and other colleagues. One key element of the ARM role is to source clinical assessors to individual clinical performance assessment cases, often through extensive searches and liaising with external organisations.
The ARM works closely with SARMs on assigned cases. This can involve working with them to produce reports and action plans and to liaise with clinicians on their behalf. The ARM manages other work streams such as behavioural assessments and team reviews. This involves arranging and conducting meetings with relevant individuals and other administrative undertakings such as proofreading reports and liaising with wide ranging personnel to progress cases within different workstreams.
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