Appraisal guidance

The appraisal meeting

The meeting must be organised by the appraiser, who is usually the immediate manager, with the correct and relevant documentation:

• The job description
• 360-degree appraisal results (optional)
• Completed appraisal form
• A record highlighting the employee's performance
• Other relevant documentation, such as peer assessments
• Comments from service users and any self-assessment forms, if appropriate
• Mandatory training records
• Continuous professional development (CPD) evidence
• The individual’s personal file (for notes on the employee and any disciplinary issues)

The appraiser will need to go through the job description to ensure that it is up to date. If not, minor changes can be made. Where there are major changes, please contact your HR Team for support.

If the appraisee has changed roles during the 12 months preceding the appraisal, the reviewer should contact the previous manager for feedback which can be incorporated into the review.

The 360 feedback tool can be used to gather wider feedback on a person’s behaviour and should be undertaken around the time of the person’s appraisal. Please see the 360-degree feedback if you would like to carry one out:

• 360-degree feedback

Arranging the appraisal

• Appraising managers should hold an objective setting meeting with each new member of staff within six weeks of the staff members' start dates
• Each member of staff needs a review of their appraisal and progress made six months after their annual appraisal as a minimum
• Dates for the annual appraisal should be scheduled in as early as possible

Three weeks before annual appraisal

The appraiser contacts the appraisee to schedule/confirm an appraisal date and either gives them a copy of the appraisal form or directs them to where they can access it.

One week before annual appraisal

The appraisee returns their completed copy of the appraisal. The appraisal form will be discussed and agreed during the appraisal meeting.

Documentation

The appraisal form is for all staff except the Executive Team and medics/GMC-registered staff, who have their own separate paperwork to complete. All sections must be completed.

There are three sections to the appraisal form. The appraisee completes parts A to C and returns the form to the appraiser one week before the appraisal meeting date.

New starters and staff new to a role will complete sections five and six in their initial objective setting meeting which will be held within six weeks of their start date with their line manager. These will form the basis of their six month and annual review.

These sections are for:

• Initial objectives
• Milestones with dates
• Any development that will assist the new colleague in meeting their initial objectives

Evidence of continuous professional development (CPD)

If a clinical or non-clinical appraisee has a CPD folder, the gathered evidence should be brought to the meeting for discussion.

Personal details

Please complete your personal details which include your:

• name
• line manager
• employee number
• date of appraisal

This is also an opportunity to book your six-month review and appraisal for next year. Your appraisal should be completed in the same month of the year as your previous appraisal.

Part A – your job role

Section 1 – review against last year’s objectives

Review what you achieved and any new skills or learning you have gained or undertaken.

Amendments to objectives may of been required due to being redeployed or because the priorities of the service changed.

Also, add any objectives that are outstanding from the previous year.

Section 2 – thinking back over the last year

Review yourself against the Trust values and behaviours. Depending on when you have your next appraisal, you can review yourself against the old or new values.

The old Trust values are:

• Collaborative – working in partnership with others to provide safe, appropriate care and improve outcomes
• Honest – being transparent in all that we do, communicating openly, inclusively and with integrity
• Accountable – taking personal and collective responsibility for the way in which we deliver care
• Innovative – being responsive, creative and flexible, always looking for ways to do things better
• Respectful – treating everyone with compassion, dignity and professionalism

The new Trust values changed in February 2022 to reflect the current climate and are:

• Kind – showing kindness to each other, and to our patients and visitors, every day
• Connected – building connections with everyone around us
• Bold – always aiming to be bold in how we think, speak and act

The appraisee and appraiser can reflect on the appraisee’s strengths and development needs around key behaviours. This is also an ideal opportunity to give feedback on their performance.

As the appraisee, you will need to think of how you display these values in your behaviours at work. Examples could be how you interact with other team members at work or with patients.

You could also include your contribution toward the Trust’s staff networks and/or the Trust’s inclusion initiatives, such as any equality and diversity training you have attended. Our staff networks include:

• BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic)
• Carers
• Disability or Long Term Health Conditions
• LGBT+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans)
• Long COVID-19
• Men’s
• Mental Health and Wellbeing
• Neurodiversity
• Women’s

See the staff networks page for more information. Please note, this link is only accessible when logged into the Trust network.

• Staff networks

Other things to include in this section:

• Document your key achievements with examples. This could be an improvement you have introduced, a particular piece of work you are proud of, or an excellent example of patient care
• Details of a new process you have introduced to save waste or help with time management, travel or better use of resources
• Highlight your proudest achievement. This could be a message of thanks from a patient or another member of staff, for example
• An idea for an improvement that you have thought about which you would like to implement
• Details of any personal goals

Section 3 – what’s not gone so well?

In this section, reflect on anything that has not gone so well over the review period. You could include:

• a description of the experience
• your feelings and thoughts about the experience
• an evaluation of the experience, both good and bad
• analysis to help make sense of the situation
• conclusions about what you learned and what you could have done differently
• an action plan for how you'd deal with similar situations in future, or any general changes you'd make

Section 4 – thinking about the future

Discussions undertaken in part A may assist in clarifying what additional development is required to meet both the set objectives and future career aspirations. Support could also include the following:

• Shadowing
• Coaching
• Mentoring
• Training

Section 5 – the objectives

Set objectives should clearly link to the team objectives and overall Trust objectives.

You need to aim to set around five or six key objectives. These need to focus on the priorities which support the Trust and your teams objectives. Having too many objectives will make it hard for you to prioritise your time and makes them less achievable.

Objectives could be carried over from the year before with new objectives set for the coming year and need to be SMART:

• specific
• measurable
• achievable
• realistic
• timed

See the SMART objectives page or Moodle for more information:

• SMART objectives
• Moodle: Appraisal Skills for the Appraiser

Section 6 – career progression and development

This section will help you think about the resources and support you need to help you achieve your objectives. For example, would a coach or mentor help?

If you have recently transferred from another department, your previous manager’s feedback may be useful to include in the overall role performance comments section.

Part B – health and wellbeing

Your health and wellbeing are important and part B of the appraisal is to provide you with an opportunity to discuss your wellbeing and how it impacts you while you’re at work.

You are encouraged to discuss your health and wellbeing with your manager throughout the year and do not need to wait for your appraisal meeting to raise a concern.

The discussion around your health and wellbeing could include anything that matters to you. This could be a review of what you have already got in place, such as flexible working, an adjustment for a health conditions, or it could be a chance to discuss something new such as caring responsibilities, changes in your circumstances, or suggesting different working arrangements.

The Trust has a wide range of health and wellbeing resources and information.

• Health and wellbeing

Change in circumstances

If your circumstances have changed since your last appraisal, the Trust would like to know about this. We can ensure you receive the right support and discuss reasonable adjustments.

Disability

Please update your ESR record if you develop a disability or a long term health condition, which might be classed as a disability, by logging into ESR self-service and changing your disability status. This can include any physical or mental health condition which requires ongoing treatment for 12 months or more.

By sharing your disability on ESR, the Trust can make sure that you have the right support in place to carry out your role at the Trust. This might include getting the right equipment, software, or making changes to the role itself, if possible, to support you.

To access your ESR self-service account, please follow the guidance on the intranet. Please note, this link is only accessible when logged into the Trust network.

• ESR portal

For assistance with the ESR self-service, please send an email using your Trust or nhs.net email address to the appropriate address:

• FinanceServiceDesk@uhb.nhs.uk (QEHB)
• Self-ServiceESRqueries@uhb.nhs.uk (HGS)

You can also get in touch with the Inclusion and Wellbeing team to talk to someone about your disability or long term health condition, including mental health and neurodiversity.

• Inclusion@uhb.nhs.uk

There are many ways in which the Trust can support you at work.

Display screen equipment (DSE) assessment

Since your last appraisal you may require a DSE assessment as your work station might need adjustment. For example, you may require a more suitable keyboard or headphones.

The DSE intranet pages have more information on accessing eye sight tests and DSE risk assessments (please note this link is only accessible when logged into the Trust network).

• Display screen equipment

Staff network groups

There are a number of staff network groups that provide confidential advice and support for all staff. The groups are open to staff that identify with the group, and staff who are allies.

See the staff networks information on the intranet to find out more. Please note, this link is only accessible when logged into the Trust network.

• Staff networks

Inclusion and wellbeing

The Trust has a range of inclusion and wellbeing resources available on the COVID-19 microsite for staff.

• Health and wellbeing

The Inclusion team can give you advice on how the Trust can support you, including workplace adjustments, the process for contacting Access to Work for reasonable adjustments, discuss training concerning disability awareness, or any other related matter.

• Inclusion@uhb.nhs.uk

Occupational health and staff counselling service

The aim of the service is to improve your health and wellbeing at work and to help you with any health problems that you may have, particularly if they are affecting your work or caused by work.

Any information which you share with us will be kept secure and confidential within the department.

The team consists of doctors specialising in occupational health, consultant occupational psychiatrists, specialist nurses and counsellors.

The staff counselling service provides all Trust employees direct access to a free professional and structured counselling service.

• OHEnquiries@uhb.nhs.uk (Occupational Health)
• StaffCounselling.Services@uhb.nhs.uk (Staff Counselling Service)

Part C – annual checks

Part C contains a review of mandatory training, clinical role revalidation requirements, and other additional role-specific annual checks.

Mandatory training

All staff must be up-to-date with their mandatory training. Staff whose mandatory training is out-of-date may be subject to deferral of pay.

More information on deferral of pay can be found on the intranet (please note this link is only accessible when logged into the Trust network).

• Pay progression

Nurse and midwife revalidation

Annual revalidation checks must be carried out during an appraisal. Please ensure the annual revalidation record form is completed each year to check progress.

• Appraisals for nurses and midwives

Annual declaration of good character

It is the responsibility of the appraise to declare if there has been any change with their status with regard to criminal convictions, cautions or criminal proceedings since starting work at the Trust or completing a standard or enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

The nature and circumstances of any offences should be considered during the performance review.

If your team member makes a declaration during their appraisal, please contact the HR First Contact team for advice.

Additional annual checks

The following additional annual checks need to be completed for medical devices, practice supervisors, and/or practice assessors of trainee nursing associates and nursing or midwifery students only and non-medical prescribing.

• Important additional requirements
• Important appraisal information for practice supervisors and practice assessors
• Annual approval to practice as a non-medical prescriber

Medical devices

Medical devices are an integral part of the diagnosis, treatment, support and care of patients. Professional users need to understand how the manufacturer intends the device or equipment to be used, and how it normally operates to be able to use it effectively and safely, (MHRA, 2015).

The Trust recognises the risks to patients, staff and others that may arise by the use of medical devices, and that it has an obligation to minimise the risk by ensuring that staff are trained to competently and safely use equipment.

On an annual basis, all clinical staff must review their competence and educational requirements.

Staff will be required to self-declare their own competence on relevant equipment within their jurisdiction annually. Medical device educational requirements need to be discussed annually in order to comply with CQC regulations.

• All equipment is used in accordance with manufacturers’ instructions and is only used for the intended purpose and for the intended service user(s)
• Providers must ensure staff and relevant others are trained to use equipment appropriately
• Care Quality Commission (2014) Guidance for Providers on Meeting the Fundamental Standards and on CQC’s Enforcement Powers.

For further advice and support, please contact the Medical Device team.

• MedDev@uhb.nhs.uk

Flexible working

The Trust has a flexible working procedure in place, which can be found on the work life balance page in the intranet (please note this link is only accessible when logged into the Trust network).

• Work life balance

Hospitality, gifts and sponsorship

The Hospitality, Gifts and Sponsorship Policy requires all staff to declare certain pecuniary (financial) benefits.

The requirement to make a declaration is dependent on the value of the benefit (gift/ hospitality/sponsorship) and whether the "giving" party has a relationship with the Trust ("Interested Third Party").

Under the Staff Code of Conduct, all staff have to declare actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interests which might arise out of secondary employment, the holding of shares, etc.

Online declaration form for gifts, hospitality and sponsorship as well as conflicts of interests are available on the respective intranet sites for Good Hope, Heartlands and Solihull hospitals, and for Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham. Please note, these links will only work when signed in to the Trust IT network.

• Conflict of interest declaration (Good Hope, Heartlands and Solihull)
• Conflict of interest declaration (QEHB)

Please note that the following staff groups must make a "nil return" on an annual basis:

• Staff on consultant contracts
• Staff on Agenda for Change pay rates of Band 8C and above

If you have nothing to declare, please indicate this.

Copies and reporting the appraisal

A copy of the documentation must be kept in the staff member’s personnel file and a copy kept by the appraisee.

After completing the appraisal, the appraiser must also report the appraisal online.

Resources

This section of the form features additional resources for all staff to access when discussing their personal development.