GP Trainer Reapproval

As an established trainer, Dr Ram found this a difficult question. You don't need to be as exhaustive as this — but it shows what's possible.

Dr Ram's advice: log into your e-appraisal toolkit and copy your course history across. Don't forget to include sessions you have facilitated as well as attended.

Provide a brief description of the educational parts of your PDP from your last appraisal.

A written reflection on your QoF and CQC performance. Clinical and organisational factors, trends, areas for improvement, and any concerns.

Clinical:

Organisational — Key Areas:

Show how the timetable is flexible and trainee-centred. This is something the reapproval panel looks for specifically.

The world of GP training changes faster than most trainers realise. New WPBA tools, changes to the MRCGP curriculum, updates to the 14Fish ePortfolio, shifts in what ARCP panels expect — these are all real changes that affect how you train. Workshops and deanery events are how you stay current. Even one event per year — even online — keeps you in the conversation.

One experienced trainer put it well: "I never got great at teaching by reading about teaching. I got great by doing it, watching others do it, and having honest conversations about what worked. The trainer workshops are where that happens."

This matters not just for quality of training — but for the reapproval submission itself. The panel wants to see that training is embedded in the practice culture, not just delivered by one enthusiastic GP in a back room. When you describe your training environment, think about who else in the practice has a role in it — and then describe that clearly.

Practical tip: it is helpful to block time in the induction timetable specifically for the trainee to meet different team members. A 30-minute conversation with the district nurse team, or sitting in with the health visitor, costs almost nothing but shows the panel that your induction is genuinely holistic.

Good feedback has a structure. It does not need to be complicated — but it needs to be specific. "Your opening was warm and made the patient feel at ease — I noticed you mirrored their posture, which helped" is more useful than "your rapport was good."

Before your TQA seminar, watch one of your own COT or CBD sessions back and ask yourself: if I were the trainee watching this feedback, would I know exactly what to do differently next time? If the answer is no — that is your development area.

The QoF and CQC reflection section of the reapproval form is where many trainers write the minimum. They list their achievements, say everything is fine, and move on. But the panels who run these processes consistently say the same thing: they find it far more impressive when a trainer identifies something that did not go well, and then explains what they did about it.

This is not a sign of weakness. It is evidence of genuine self-awareness — which is the foundation of all good teaching and good medicine. A practice that scores 518 out of 545 on QoF and honestly says "our diabetic care needs improving, and here is what we are doing" is a more credible training environment than one that claims everything is perfect.

The single most helpful mindset shift experienced trainers describe is this: go into the interview as the expert you actually are. You have been training for 5 years. You know your practice, your trainee, and your educational journey better than anyone in that room. The panel is not there to catch you out — they genuinely cannot do that if you know your own practice well.

Some practical ideas from trainers who have been through it:

• Prepare two or three real stories. A time a trainee was struggling and how you handled it. A teaching moment that went especially well. A practice meeting where a learning point came out of a significant event. Real examples always land better than hypothetical answers.
• Know your induction timetable and weekly timetable well. The panel often reviews these in detail. Being able to explain each element — and why it is there — shows genuine engagement with your training programme.
• Be honest about what you find difficult. Panels do not expect perfection. They expect honesty, self-awareness, and a genuine commitment to improvement. If you find supervising trainees in difficulty particularly challenging, say so — and say what you are doing about it.
• Don't try to sound impressive. Just be yourself. Experienced panels can easily distinguish between a trainer who genuinely loves their work and one who has learned a set of impressive-sounding phrases.

Every trainer goes through periods when training feels like a burden — when the paperwork outweighs the joy, when a difficult trainee drains rather than energises, when general practice itself feels overwhelming. These are normal phases, not signs that you should stop training.

What experienced trainers consistently recommend:

• Stay connected to your local trainer group. The shared wisdom and mutual support in a well-run trainer group is irreplaceable. If yours is not active enough, talk to your TPD about reinvigorating it.
• Attend the trainers' residential conference if your scheme runs one. The combination of formal learning and informal connection — conversations over dinner, walks outside, unstructured time with colleagues — reliably recharges batteries.
• Take on a new educational challenge. Facilitating HDR sessions, mentoring a new trainer, getting involved in SCA mock examinations, or attending deanery events as a trainer co-visitor are all ways to inject fresh energy into your educational role.
• Remember why you started. The trainee who surprised you. The consultation that made you proud of how you taught it. The moment a struggling trainee found their feet. Keep a record of these — it is very easy to forget the good moments and remember the difficult ones.

Good & McCaslin (1992) wrote key principles about teaching that are still as relevant today as when they were written. Dr Ram uses them as a personal reminder of what he tries to do as a GP Trainer and Educator — they form the basis of good teaching, whatever the subject.

Your anxiety is entirely understandable — and shared by most trainers facing an interview. But here is the key reframe: the interview exists to showcase your work, not to catch you out.

A reapproval panel that genuinely understands its purpose knows that the interview is not a grilling. It is an opportunity for you to demonstrate that you and your practice are still worthy of training the next generation of GPs.

What they are actually checking:

• That you remain a committed trainer doing it for the right reasons
• That you are maintaining your educational skills — basic theory, regular CPD, engagement with the deanery
• That you are up to date with GP training — MRCGP, WPBA tools, ePortfolio use
• That you have a structured approach to trainees in difficulty
• That training is a practice-wide activity — not just delivered by you alone
• The practical quality of your induction programme and timetable

They will want real examples. "I would do X" is weaker than "Last year I did X with a trainee who was struggling with Y."

You definitely have one. You just haven't called it that before.

An educational philosophy is simply your answer to the question: "What do I believe about teaching, and how does that show up in what I actually do?"

Here are some prompts to help you find the words:

• Do you believe trainees should be treated as adult learners, not students to be lectured?
• Do you tailor your teaching to the individual trainee rather than using the same approach for everyone?
• Do you believe in using real consultations and real patients as the basis for learning?
• Do you think reflection is important — that understanding why matters as much as knowing what?
• Do you believe in feedback that is honest and compassionate — not just praise?

In the interview, speak authentically. Two or three genuine examples from your real training experience will always land better than a prepared speech full of theoretical references.

There is no universal answer, but the worked examples on this page give a strong sense of the expected depth. In general:

• Short, factual sections (like policies and declarations) — brief and direct is fine
• Reflective sections (QoF/CQC reflection, educational PDP) — a few clear paragraphs with specific examples
• Activity lists (educational activities, meetings) — comprehensive but not exhaustive
• Narrative sections (premises, timetable adaptations) — descriptive but concise; 100–250 words is usually sufficient

The golden rule: show, don't just tell. Specific examples are worth more than vague claims.

Absolutely. While the specific forms, portals, and processes described here are from Yorkshire & Humber, the underlying principles and evidence categories are the same across all regions in England — because they all ultimately derive from GMC standards for GP training.

Use this page as a framework to understand what is being asked of you, and then map it onto your own deanery's specific requirements. The worked example answers are particularly transferable, as is the advice on preparing for an interview.

If you're from another region and your reapproval process differs significantly, we'd genuinely love to hear about it — email: rameshmehay@googlemail.com

The TPD (Training Programme Director) report is your TPD's assessment of you as a trainer. In Yorkshire & Humber, you download the proforma and email it directly to your TPD, who then completes and returns it to you for uploading.

Ask for it as soon as you start your reapproval submission. TPDs are very busy and need time to complete it thoughtfully. Leaving this until the last few weeks before your submission deadline is a common and very avoidable source of stress.

The LAT (Local Appraisal Team) form confirms that you are in good standing — i.e., there are no active GMC investigations or appraisal concerns about you. You download the proforma and email it to the appropriate appraisals team for your area (see email addresses in the Evidence Required section above).

Again: do this early. It relies on a busy NHS team completing and returning a form, and delays here can hold up your entire submission.

Yes — in Yorkshire & Humber (and most regions), you are expected to bring videos demonstrating how you teach. Specifically:

• A video showing how you teach the consultation (typically a COT — Consultation Observation Tool)
• A video showing how you conduct a CBD (Case-Based Discussion)
• A video showing how you give feedback to a trainee

You should also bring your last Educational Supervisor's Report for review.

The purpose is quality assurance — not judgment. The seminar facilitators use these to help you reflect and improve, not to fail you. Most trainers find the process very constructive.

Note: CSA is now called SCA (Simulated Consultation Assessment). Any references to CSA mock practice in older documents refer to what is now the SCA exam.