Doctors who are not on the GMC Specialist Register in psychiatry, Psychologists, First Level Nurses in Mental Health or Learning Disability field, an Occupational Therapist or a Social Worker who wish to act as an Approved Clinician must apply for AC approval via the portfolio route. It is strongly recommended that applicants attend a portfolio workshop prior to submitting their portfolio for panel review. (Details below).
The information below is advisory as to what the portfolio should contain but is not exhaustive:-
Doctors should have a minimum of seven years (whole time equivalent) experience in psychiatry with at least four being in a senior position before you apply via the portfolio route.
Your portfolio must be sent to the England South Approval Panel via email (including Egress) or shared drive, clearly filed in each section (A-E) with a table of contents.
Attached is a lot of information and guidance for your portfolio, please ensure you read all of the information carefully in preparation for your portfolio and remember this will be presented to a group of your peers and possibly department of health for review.
The England South Approvals Panel needs reflective practice and your commentaries must be reflective, all information submitted must be anonymous it will be rejected if it is not, reports should follow practice direction and sent anonymised in line with information governance.
All contents of the portfolio must be anonymised fully, ie reports no patient initials, use patient A or B, when referring to another Dr do not use initials say ie consultant forensic psychiatrist, staff grade, general adult psychiatrist etc, the same for nurses, care co-ordinators, when referring to relative just say patient as son, daughter etc, no ward or hospital names must be included, we do not need to know where the patient is hospitalised or where they live. Failure to fully anonymise the portfolio will result in you being reported to your MD regarding data protection issues.
You must include a table of contents, clearly showing what documents demonstrate what competence.
You must include evidence of mentoring and shadowing and AC/RC
Shadowing an AMHP for a minimum of half a day not just undertaking s12 assessment.
You must include a reflective personal statement on how you prepared for your portfolio.
You can include some statutory sample forms only an RC can complete with a reflective commentary on your emotional journey with the patient and your part in the decision making.
You must include 360 colleague and patient feedback. .
You must include a reflective role of the AC/RC and how you will use the approval once you become an AC/RC.
The above list is not exhaustive and you must include any other information to support your application.
Please only include information relevant to demonstrate you have the competencies required for AC approval. The portfolio must be all your own work, plagiarism results in a referral to the GMC or your professional body..
ESSENTIAL READING SUGGESTED BUT NOT EXHAUSTIVE
Heather Waltham will be running the following Portfolio Workshop for applicants in the England South Regions in 2023
29 November 2023 - Booking form HERE
Next course - February 2024
2023 / 2024 Panel cut off dates for portfolio submission:
| Portfolio submission by: | Panel meeting on: |
| 08 December 2023 | 25 January 2024 |
| 01 March 2024 | 18 April 2024 |
| 07 June 2024 | 18 July 2024 |
| 06 September 2024 | 24 October 2024 |
The England South Approvals Panel strongly recommend you attend a current Portfolio Workshop prior to compiling your portfolio.
Delegates must attend their own Regional Approvals Panel Portfolio Workshop
Feedback from previous Workshops - invaluable, excellent, really helped me know where to start, very needed workshop, it was good to see sample statements and understand reflective practice, highly recommended and will recommend to my colleagues.
"Brilliant, precise and clearly presented" - Nurse
"Excellent workshop I really feel empowered to collect the relevant information" - Doctor
" This was a very helpful and relevant workshop as one of my PDP objectives is to obtain the AC status. I feel now more confident in compiling a portfolio with evidence of my competencies. I am now aware of what kind of professionals could complete a testimonial for me and who to ask to provide references for me. I am now aware that I would need to complete a reflection for most of the evidence, in order to improve my practice and hence improve patient care" - Doctor
"Excellent workshop, it will help me a lot to prepare my portfolio" - Doctor
"It was a very useful and informative workshop, one of the best training events I have attended" - Doctor
"I wouldn't have been able to compile my portfolio successfully without this workshop" - Psychologist
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