Continuing Professional Development: rhetoric and practice in the NHS¹

Abstract

development of their clinical skills which, for some at least, has led to them falling into management roles without the necessary development rather than following a career plan into management thus adding a further level of complexity about CPD being a straightforward activity to engage with.It is perhaps the absence of a "thought through" approach in which the requirements for CPD to meet an organisational based role related to management, with its requirements for management development rather than a CPD approach focussed on mandatory professional training to remain registered or certified, which provides the greatest challenge.The article is organised as follows. First we offer definition and a clarification for the term CPD and its variations. This is followed by a discussion about the NHS and its relationship with and expectation for CPD in terms of policy development. A description of method is followed by presentation of CPD related outcomes from a larger survey of NHS front line staff. This data is then discussed from the perspective of 19 in depth follow up interviews the purpose of which was to explore the attitudes of this key group of employees to the provision of and for CPD in the NHS Trust in which they were employed.

A service sector classification scheme using economic data

“…Examples here are Sambrook (2006) and Morgan, Cullinane, and Pye (2008), who look at the modernisation processes of the UK's National Health Service, and whose aim is to improve overall productivity (Morgan et al, 2008, p. 236). Sambrook finds considerable communication difficulties around the language of human resource development (2006, p. 62) and Morgan et al conclude that there is a gap between rhetoric and practice around continuing professional development that may ultimately affect staff motivation and hospitals' ability to operate (2008, p. 246).…”

Continuing professional development: policy and practice in the National Health Service (NHS)

“…And it's a good idea that somebody is putting external pressure on you to do it, because otherwise you can be lazy and just let yourself tick over (laughs). However, as alluded to in the above quotation, many participants, in addition to their concerns about how this policy was to be operationalized within the workplace (O'Sullivan, 2003;Morgan et al, 2008), felt that evidencing competence was going to be another activity that they would need to fulfil in their own time (Irvine, 2001) with little support from managers. It would then become a burden, a pressure, not a valuable learning experience, and as a consequence might actually contribute to the loss of practitioners.…”

Professional journey of the expert teacher educator

“…The second theme could be associated with individuals gaining competence for advancement. The third is connected with the professions, where CPE is associated with a concern for updating to maintain professional competence (Morgan, Cullinane, and Pye 2008).…”