Staff appraisal and continuing professional development: exploring the relationships in acute and community health settings

Continuing professional development is important for both individual and service development. Staff appraisal is central to the identification of training needs. Recent health-service reforms in the United Kingdom have linked appraisal and training to pay and career progression. This project aimed to explore the conduct of appraisal and the link between appraisal processes and access to continuing education and training. Focus groups were conducted in an urban acute cancer service and a rural community night nursing service to explore these issues. A total of 29 nurses and allied health professionals participated. Transcripts of focus group discussions were analysed for themes, with a deliberate search for counter-instances. Focus groups revealed that appraisal was perceived as frequently rushed and often appeared undervalued by managers. The purpose of appraisal was often misunderstood; and where no clear link existed between appraisal and access to development opportunities, staff viewed appraisal with antipathy. Commissioning of training was insufficiently responsive to identified needs and appeared overly bureaucratic. The study indicates that the link between appraisal processes and the commissioning of training is insufficiently effective. Process issues that require addressing, as well as recommendations arising from the data, are discussed.