Requesting feedback from colleagues
This page provides detailed information on how to select colleagues and collect their feedback.
Confirm your feedback group
Before you collect feedback using ACP, you may first wish to email the colleagues you’d like to collect feedback from, to introduce the ACP process and confirm their agreement to participate.
If you wish send an email in advance, a template has been provided under ‘Info for Psychiatrists’: ‘Template email for online colleague feedback’. You can copy, paste and edit this content as required in your email.
Please ensure that you request feedback from as many colleagues as necessary to receive at least 13 responses (we recommend obtaining 13 colleague responses but can release a report with a minimum of 5). If you request for your report to be released with less than 13 returns we will add the following advisory note to the report: ‘Please note that there are fewer than the recommended 13 returns, so please treat the results with caution.’
Guidance on selecting colleague assessors
Categories
Colleagues who you wish to collect feedback from must be representative of the teams within which you work. They should include other consultants, doctors in training for whom you might be the clinical or educational supervisor, other medical staff such as GPs with whom you work closely, nursing staff, other clinical professionals, secretarial/admin and management staff. The aim is to have a broad perspective from others on how well you are performing, and for them to highlight areas of good practice and areas for further development.
Impact on results
Could allowing consultants choose their own list of colleague recipients bias their results? Experience from other 360 appraisal tools would suggest that this is not the case - in fact it is possible that colleagues who view you positively are more likely to give considered and constructive positive feedback and identify areas for improvement.
How to compile a list of colleague recipients
The College cannot review the selection of assessors (colleagues) with individuals. We suggest that whenever possible, participants should discuss in advance with their appraiser the list of assessors they are planning to invite to complete questionnaire.
Request feedback
When you’re ready, you can now use the ACP system to contact your chosen colleagues and request submission of their feedback online.
Go to your ‘Dashboard’ and enter the name and email address of your colleagues in the ‘Request colleague feedback’ section. Click ‘Send email’ when done.
The system will automatically send an email to the recipient. The email will explain what ACP 360 is, and why you are requesting the feedback. The email will also contain a link to the feedback questionnaire which is linked directly to your assessment. This will allow the outcomes to be automatically included in your report.
After clicking the link, the recipient will be asked to enter their email address. This is the same email you entered to send the request for feedback. It’s important that this address is entered exactly in order to be recognised.
Every 7 days, the system will send out an automated reminder to the recipient. These reminder emails will continue to be sent until the recipient has completed the feedback, the assessment is closed, or the recipient has declined to give feedback.
Removing colleague details
Recipients have the option to not give feedback. In these cases, the recipient will contact the ACP 360 team stating that they do not wish to participate, and the ACP 360 team will delete their details from the system.
Reports of emails not being sent/received
The system automatically sends the email requesting feedback and reminders. Sometimes these emails are marked as junk/spam or may not be delivered.
If you are concerned that recipients are not receiving automated emails inviting them to provide feedback:
- Double check that the current email address is being used
- Check that the email address has been entered correctly
- Ask your colleagues to check their junk/spam folders
Please contact the ACP team if you continue to experience problems.