Problem psychiatrists: Part 1 – introduction to dealing with poor performance

Understanding and dealing with poor performance in doctors is something now expected of all doctors. The GMC’s publications Raising and acting on concerns about patient safety (GMC, 2012) and Good Medical Practice (GMC, 2019) make this clear. Serious issues are relatively uncommon, perhaps only one or two cases per year in most average sized mental health trusts or health boards. Developing and employing the necessary skills is therefore not particularly easy. This module aims to provide an introduction to what doctors need to know about how to approach such problems.

This module provides a deceptively simple vignette, which illustrates and develops some of the skills and habits of mind that are useful and effective in dealing with performance concerns.

In this module, we will also look specifically at:

• more formal local investigations regarding poor performance in psychiatrists and interventions to address the problem. You will be able to review a range of potential local interventions including performance management which is described in more detail
• working with performance concerns, and how to manage these effectively. The final section of this module considers the impact of anger and other emotions as well as some of the strategies for coping with these.

While the module is aimed mainly at those managing others, it will also be of value to all doctors in helping them understand the frameworks and processes associated with dealing with poor performance.

The second module, Problem psychiatrists: Part 2 – understanding and managing poor performance, follows on from Part 1 with more of an emphasis on national guidance and discussions with Practitioner Performance Advice (formerly NCAS).