1.1 The Society of Radiographers considers that the provision of a competent, effective and motivated workforce requires the employer to take an active role in the personal and professional development of all employees.

1.2 The Society of Radiographers encourages employers to support their employees’ personal and professional development and considers that all employees, irrespective of scope or level of practice, have a right to this.

1.3 Such support may include, but need not necessarily be limited to:

• Support with continuing professional development (CPD)
• Practice development
• Mentoring
• Preceptorship
• Appraisal
• Clinical supervision

1.4 A number of employee personal development and review systems exist and these should involve a range of clearly defined performance objectives to support:

• Pay and career progression
• Professional and practice development
• The identifying of appropriate and agreed learning objectives
• The development of service or departmental learning, training and development strategies

1.5 Such systems only benefit service users and practitioners when appropriately resourced (ie time allocated) and undertaken in compliance with the system’s full requirements.  An approach involving short-cuts as a response to management pressures or one in which ‘lip service’ is paid to the system without full implementation is valueless and should be resisted vigorously.

1.6 It should be recognised that any personal development and review system is unlikely to encompass all points considered under 1.3 and should not be seen as a complete substitute for them. Employers and service managers should consider service requirements and staff development needs and should seek to ensure that a range of options are available to support these. Many of these processes overlap and in some instances can be set up with minimal resources (see below).

1.7 Where no employer led system is in place, or where a practitioner is self-employed, the need to meet appropriate standards of CPD is imperative and in these circumstances practitioners are urged to use CPD Now to ensure this.

1.8 With regard to 1.3 above, the Society and College of Radiographers provides guidance for CPD, practice development, mentoring, preceptorship and clinical supervision.

1.8.1 CPD – the College’s CPD framework and accreditation is specific to the needs of practitioners in medical imaging, radiation therapy and oncology, irrespective of scope or level of practice. Employee development frameworks like the KSF cannot be regarded as an equivalent process or substitute for a properly structured approach to CPD and compliance with such systems will not of itself satisfy the regulatory requirements set down by the Health Professions Council (HPC 2008). However, there is likely to be overlap between the individual practitioner’s CPD objectives and aspirations and work undertaken to evidence compliance with the KSF may contribute to the practitioner’s CPD portfolio. The converse can also apply. CPD Now enables the practitioner to keep a single portfolio of learning activities which may be referenced to either set of standards simultaneously. CPD Now includes a facility to enable the user to identify the application any CPD activities recorded to the KSF clearly and easily.

The documents ‘A Strategy for Continuing Professional Development’ (SoR, 2003) and ‘Continuing Professional Development – Professional and Regulatory Requirements’ (SCoR, 2008) provide a full account of these processes.

1.8.2 Practice development – the KSF can support clinical managers in identifying and addressing staff learning and development needs at departmental and service levels and tools like the e-KSF can facilitate this. More information is available in ‘A Strategy for Practice Development in Radiography’ (CoR, 2005).

1.8.3 Mentoring – the document ‘Mentoring – Guidance and Advice’ (SCoR, 2009) provides managers and practitioners with a comprehensive overview of the theory and practical applications of this process.

1.8.4 Preceptorship – there is no formally defined period of preceptorship for recently qualified radiographers or for those returning to practice. The term ‘preceptorship’ may simply be defined as a period of adaptation into a new role. However, increasingly in radiography the term is used to refer to the period during which a newly appointed radiographer consolidates and develops his or her knowledge and skills to the point at which he or she is able to function as a competent and autonomous practitioner. In the NHS this equates to progression from pay band 5 to 6. This arrangement is clearly stipulated in Annexe T of Agenda for Change (NHS Employers, 2005). Further guidance is available from the SCoR website at www.sor.org [2]

Employers should ensure that suitable systems are in place to develop, assess and evidence the preceptee’s progress to competent and autonomous practice. These can only be determined in the context of local service provision. A preceptorship programme is available in CPD Now to support this process and includes a suggested range of CPD activities and a KSF outline. However, it must be stressed that a CPD portfolio cannot of itself evidence competence and that clinical managers and supervisory staff should determine this.

It is expected that practitioners who attain competence and function as autonomous practitioners should move from NHS pay band 5 to 6 (or their equivalents  with other employers) and that this process should normally take no longer than two years.

1.8.5 Clinical Supervision may be defined as ‘an exchange between professionals to enable the development of professional knowledge and skills’ (Butterworth, Faugier and Burnard, 1998). It is a structured and formalised means to monitor and improve practice. It aims to improve skills, provide insight and to improve patient care using a structured relationship that involves regular interaction with a more skilled and experienced (although not necessarily more senior) professional. The desired outcome is that the practitioner should accept full responsibility and accountability for his or her practice and subsequently feel empowered and confident to evaluate and, where necessary, to challenge procedures and systems by which services are delivered.

Clinical supervision can, therefore, be used to safeguard and improve standards of practice, to develop individuals both professionally and personally and to contribute to excellence in clinical service delivery.

A number of commitments need to be in place if clinical supervision is to be implemented successfully.  These include commitment at all levels within the organisation, protected resources, training for both supervisors and supervisees and supervision for supervisors.