Description

Background: National policy and professional
initiatives require regular appraisal of staff and construction
of personal development plans, to ensure that staff maintain
and develop their skills and knowledge. Little is known about
practice in this area.

Objective: To undertake a base line audit of the
use of appraisal and personal development plans in District
Departments of Public Health

Setting: 13 West Midlands Health Authorities.

Method: Postal survey seeking information related
to the use of appraisal and personal development plans for
all staff within the department.

Results: There were difficulties classifying staff,
particularly multidisciplinary staff, as substantive or otherwise.
10/13 departments had appraised more than 50% of staff in
the previous year, and 8/13 departments had more than 50%
of staff with a personal development plan.

Conclusions: Substantial progress has been made
in this area, although a number of staff are not yet covered.