Terminology and content
- A unified "Singapore" GLF tool.
- Not assessors"! Here are some suggestions for the assessors" : Facilitators? Trainers?
- Perhaps the Clinical Group should be renamed as a team - so the "Clinical Team"
- The anchor words should be changed from 'Always' to 'CONSISTENTLY' and 'Never' to 'RARELY'.
- The category of 'U/C' (unable to comment) will be included in the form.
- The Handbook is available online, and should be an essential part of the process. The Queensland Handbook is the current 'gold standard'. See CoDEG website for the download.
Engaging with staff and planning ahead
How should we market the idea? This should be seen in the context of a developmental tool, not an examination tool.
How to use it? Perhaps repeat a baseline session with all Seniors - remember the power and influence of this experience on seniors/trainers.
- Hold a Q & A/orientation session with seniors to gain 'buy in'; follow through with further consensus team sessions about implementation. Use the feedback data from this General Session (see website) and the accumulated evidence from other world centres.
- Perhaps to use the 'patient safety agenda' to market the benefit of the process. Institutions will be supported in this marketing drive. The message should be about application of skills/knowledge, not as an 'assessment' - in other words, directly for the benefit of patients (and other health care professionals).
- This will be of major benefit in developing not just Juniors - but will directly feed in the career/personal development of the Senior staff (note: a key component of the ALF is Education/Training and also Leadership skills). There is an evident mutuality in implementing the GLF process which feeds directly into CPD for Advanced Level practitioners.
- A further marketing strategy would be the formal appointment of 'mentors' and to point out the use of the GLF process. The other important issue is that this is not ALL about clinical - it encompasses the holistic scope of PRACTICE in early years.
- Job satisfaction is also a good link - links with indicators of job satisfaction (such as responsibility, impact on patient care, professional development) are strongly correlated with regular use of developmental tools, such as GLF, miniCEX, etc. The tools tend to highlight previously 'hidden' areas of performance, which can be used as a positive reinforcement during appraisals. Our experience during these few days has reinforced this aspect.
What next?
Implement! let's move forward with staff engagement.
Ultimately prepare staff for enhanced working.
Look forward to further work on ALF and workforce development.