Sign Off and ARCP
The following information relates to the Sign off process for 2024.
An Annual Review of Competence Progression (ARCP) is the process by which foundation doctors are signed off for Foundation Year 1 (F1) and Foundation Year 2 (F2).
The sign off checklist (accessible below) lists the criteria that will be considered by the ARCP panel. The list for F1 is slightly different from the one for F2.
F1 ARCP evidence required 2024
F2 ARCP evidence required 2024
The Foundation Programme Curriculum Resource Guide provides weblinks to a number of online resources which may be used as additional evidence on the teaching mapping document to demonstrate learning where formal teaching sessions have been missed.
Severn Foundation School – ARCP checklist for Foundation Doctors
The school checklist has been written in accordance with the UKFPO published checklist. It sets out the criteria that must be reached to get a satisfactory ARCP outcome (1 or 6).
Below are additional expectations of the Severn Foundation School and aide memoirs for portfolio checks in preparation for ARCP panels.
Curriculum assessment
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ALS or equivalent (see UKFPO curriculum) should be linked to FPC 2 (iLS in F1 if unable to do ALS)
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PSA certificate should be linked to FPC 4 (F1s)
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FPC 9 should have evidence of QI activity F1s (e.g., data collection) and a full QIP F2s (e.g. upload presentation given of QIP)
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FPC 10 should have evidence of delivering a teaching session during FY1 and FY2 – e.g., DCT or LEADER assessment
- FPC 11 Evidence of engagement with quality assurance activity (you could upload evidence of the completion of GMC survey or end of post survey or participant in Foundation Quality panel)
Other portfolio evidence
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Teaching log – minimum 30 hours core teaching; minimum 60 hours total (please see the UKFP guidance on what counts as Core and Non-Core)
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The school does not specify any e-learning that can count towards core teaching. Also, whilst there is no national cap on the amount of e-Learning we would expect to see a variety of opportunities utilized for non-Core teaching.
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Evidence of attending simulation sessions – this is a requirement of the core teaching programme in both F1 and F2
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Three summary narratives
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Evidence of regular reflection
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Evidence of contemporaneous portfolio activity demonstrating competence in both physical and mental health across acute, non-acute and community settings
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Form R: All Time Out of Training (TOOT) e.g. Compassionate Leave, Parental Leave, Sickness Absence, Jury Service, Industrial Action and any other statutory reason should be recorded on your form R. (Please see further information below)
Notes:
The following continue to be recommended as good professional practice but are no longer a mandatory requirement in the curriculum for ARCP evidence (HORUS has not yet been fully updated):
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Initial CS and ES meeting records
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PDPs (please remember, a PDP is required for study leave requests)
Severn Foundation School – Guidance for curriculum linking 2024
All Foundation doctors: Enhanced Form R for Revalidation
The GMC introduced revalidation for all practising doctors who have full registration (including all F2s and specialty doctors in training). Licensed doctors are required to demonstrate on a regular basis that they are up to date and fit to practise and will have to revalidate, usually every five years. The Postgraduate Dean is the Responsible Officer for making recommendations to the GMC that doctors in training should be revalidated.
Over each 5-year period, you need to collect supporting information to show you are meeting the GMC's professional standards. As a doctor in training, you will be gathering this information anyway in order to meet the requirements of your training programme. The Postgraduate Dean, as your Responsible Officer, will use the outcomes of your ARCP process to inform their recommendation to the GMC.
In addition, you are required to make a self-declaration of your scope of practice and whether you have been involved in any conduct, capability or formal Serious Untoward Incidents/Significant event investigations or named in complaints. This declaration is called an Enhanced Form R and you need to provide one for your ARCP panel. The Responsible Officer will use the information that you submit on your Form R, in conjunction with that declared to us by your employer, in the revalidation decision.
The Enhanced Form R will be available within your Horus e-portfolio under Forms.
For more information on Revalidation please see the GMC website.
ARCP Panel
Foundation doctors who have been awarded an adverse outcome and a minimum random 10% of the cohort will be invited to attend a face-to-face post ARCP feedback meeting.
2024 ARCP dates
All portfolios must be completed by Thursday 30th May 2024
ARCP Panel dates Monday 3rd June - Friday 14th June 2024
Final ARCP outcomes - by 28th June 2024
Appeals Deadline - Thursday 11th July 2024
ARCP outcomes
You will receive one of the following outcomes which will be recorded on an ARCP outcome form in your e-portfolio.
| F1 ARCP review panel outcome: | F2 ARCP review panel outcome: |
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Outcome 1: Satisfactory completion of F1 |
Outcome 6: Satisfactory completion of F2: |
| Outcome 3: Inadequate progress – additional training time required | |
| Outcome 4: Released from training programme | |
| Outcome 5: Incomplete evidence presented – additional training time may be required | |
The Foundation Programme is both time and outcome-based. Foundation Doctors must complete 12 months in approved Foundation Year 1 (F1) placements and 12 months in approved Foundation Year 2 (F2) placements as well as meeting the other requirements of the programme. The GMC guidance for absence states that if foundation doctors miss any time they were due to be on duty this will count as an absence whether it was a weekday, weekend or night shift. The maximum number of days a foundation doctor can be absent when they were due to be on duty is 20.
Should Foundation Doctors feel they need additional support, for example, because of problems in their personal life, health or performance as a doctor, Severn Postgraduate Medical Education has produced a help sheet to offer guidance for anyone experiencing difficulties and to help point them to where they can find help. A copy of this document is accessible below: