**This website will remain accessible but will not be updated from 1 April 2024. A new website is under construction. For up to date information please visit the RCOG website for updates from the Royal College or the Severn SWOT website for local teaching updates. You will be given the link to the new website as soon as it is available.**
What is an ARCP?
All Specialty Trainees (ST) will undergo an Annual Assessment of Competence Progression (ARCP) by an ARCP panel.
This is carried out in accordance with the Gold Guide.
Further information is available on the RCOG website RCOG ARCP.
The ARCP Panel
- Considers and approves the adequacy of the evidence and documentation (e-portfolio) provided by the trainee
- Reviews the judgement, made by the Educational Supervisor (ES) about the trainee's suitability to progress to the next stage of training
- Communicates the outcome to the trainee (must be in person if outcome 3 or 4)
The ARCP Panel (Who will you meet?)
The ARCP panel is composed at least 3 panel members (reduced to 2 for Covid). These panel members are made up of the following:
- The Head of School (HoS)
- The Training Programme Directors (TPD)
- Members of Speciality Training Committee (may include Associate Dean/Dean)
- Educational Supervisors (ES) from hospitals in the deanery
- Employers Representative (Assistant General Manager or above)
- Lay Representative (for a minimum of 10%)
- External O&G Consultant from another PGME (Deanery) (for minimum of 10%)
What happens at an ARCP in O&G in Severn PGME?
The panel read the trainee’s ES report and consider the trainee’s eportfolio evidence. They then review the ES’s judgement about the trainee's suitability to progress to the next stage of training, as judged by the trainee’s ability to meet the RCOG requirement for clinical progression.
The ARCP is also used for the purpose of Revalidation and the trainee’s form R will be reviewed. In some circumstances a discussion will be needed between the TPD and trainee, should any further clarification be required.
The trainee will be offered the opportunity to discuss their ARCP outcome with the HoS/ TPD/ College Tutor or their ES. This discussion offers the trainee a chance to review their training to date opportunity to formulate a plan for the future. Alternatively written feedback, via email can be requested.
Following the ARCP the completed ARCP outcome form will be added to the trainees’ e-portfolios for future reference.
The date of their ARCP will be sent to all trainees at least 6 weeks in advance. There is no requirement to attend the ARCP, so it can still go ahead if the trainee is on annual leave etc.
Trainees will be expected to ensure that their e-portfolio is up to date fand ES forms completed 2 weeks prior to the ARCP
ARCPs must be carried out at least annually. With the 2019 curriculum and the need to reset the eportfolio at the end of basic training (ST2) and intermediate training (ST5), additional ARCPs may need to be carried out at the end of these training years if they do not coincide with the annual ARCP.
What Assessment Criteria are used for ARCP
The RCOG introduced a new curriculum in August 2019. Details of the new curriculum are available at https://www.rcog.org.uk/en/careers-training/specialty-training-curriculum/
To ensure a consistent approach to assessment and progression through training, the RCOG has developed a matrix of educational progression https://www.rcog.org.uk/en/careers-training/about-specialty-training-in-og/assessment-and-progression-through-training/training-matrix/
Trainees should ensure that they have provided the correct evidence for the correct stage of training as laid out in the matrix, including the expected progress in clinical CiPs.
Resources to aid the trainee are available on https://www.rcog.org.uk/en/careers-training/resources--support-for-trainees/
Resources to aid the ES are available on https://www.rcog.org.uk/en/careers-training/resources-and-support-for-trainers/
For each CiP on e -portfolio there is a little red 
. If this is clicked it opens up a description of the CiPand the evidence expected
ARCP Outcomes
- Outcome 1 Achieving progress and the development of competences at the expected rate.
- Outcome 2 Development of specific competences required - additional training time is not required.
- Outcome 3 Inadequate progress by the trainee - additional training time required.
- Outcome 4 Released from training programme with or without specified competences.
- Outcome 5 Incomplete evidence presented - additional training time may be required.
- Outcome 6 Gained all required competencies.
Further guidance can be found in the RCOG document ARCP Outcomes Guidance.
With COVID, new outcomes 10.1 and 10.2 have been introduced to allow acknowledge the detrimental effects of covid on training https://www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/careers-and-training/2020-arcp-recording-where-coronavirus-covid-19-has-impacted-on-a-trainee.pdf
What documents are required to be completed for an ARCP
The ARCP, in addition to being a mandatory assessment of progress and submission of form R, is an opportunity to for the trainees to showcase their achievements throughout the year. For this reason, an up-to-date CV including achievements in terms of publications, audits, skills and competencies is useful for the trainee to complete and can be uploaded to the eportfolio. This is not mandatory, but may be helpful to trainees in keeping their CV up to date.
- ES Report on eportfolio
- Form R part A and part B (please note the Form R is now completed online via TSS self service)
- Wider Scope of Practice form if appropriate (i.e other non- employing trust work has been undertaken)
- CCT Calculator to be uploaded onto eportfolio in excel format- NOT PDF (this helps the panel work out the CCT date and the trainee will be expected to submit training dates to the RCOG when completing CCT)
- OOP Supervisors form for trainees on OOP https://www.severndeanery.nhs.uk/about-us/revalidation/show/documents-and-guidance. Trainees on OOP do not have to complete the ES Report on eportfolio, unless they are counting part of their OOP for training (this must be agreed in advance for all OOP with the exception of OOPP, where training can be recognised in retrospect)
Failure to meet the deadlines for submission of the above, or submission of incorrect or incomplete forms leading to an inability to review the trainee's progress prior to the panel meeting, will result in an outcome 5 and the panel will decline to assess the trainee's progress.