Chair | Portfolio Pathway Advisory Group

Portfolio Pathway Advisory Chair

Portfolio Pathway Advisory Group (which reports to Education Board)

Three years beginning in January 2025

Assessment as above

Responsibilities of the Advisory Chair include:

• Chairing the monthly Portfolio Pathway Advisory Group meetings. This involves mediating discussion (and any conflict of opinion), taking the final decision on appropriate recommendations, if evidence is lacking. The role would lead on supporting and upskilling advisors on any new assessment approaches; whilst having a clear, methodical and consistent approach themselves.
•  After each meeting, the Advisory Chair would work closely with the Portfolio Pathway Manager to review and approve the final evaluation forms. These forms are sent to the GMC for approval; as well as directly to the applicant. Therefore, close scrutiny of the language used, particularly medical terminology is essential. An accurate and thorough oversight is required to ensure the final reports are clear, accurate and consistent.
  • Some evaluations can often be complex and lengthy, particularly when clinical evidence is missing.
  •  Some evaluations also need to be reviewed under tight timescales, to ensure the college meets the contractual deadlines set by the GMC.
•  As Advisory Chair, there is much less emphasis on assessing the actual applications, but instead will support and lead the Advisors to reach a fair and final consensus. This is with the exception of peak times, where numbers of applications are higher than usual and all members of the group may be required to step in.  There may also be times where additional meetings are required; if there are too many applications to discuss in one monthly meeting.
• Overall, the role requires a much more complex approach than that of an Advisor, with a higher level of responsibility and management; to effectively understand and approach the complexities of the full range of different applications; which Advisors do not participate in. This can include reviews (second time applications), formal appeals and Non-CCT subspecialty applicants. The latter of these can have their own challenges, as the assessment relies heavily on sub-specialist consultant involvement.
• Other activities (working closely with the Portfolio Pathway Manager on the aims and objectives of these activities) include:
  •  Attendance (four times per year) at Education Board (which the Portfolio Pathway Advisory Group reports to)
  • Reviewing and modifying the applicant guidance and taking the clinical lead in making improvements to documents, approaches and processes where required
  • Assisting with the recruitment and selection process for new Advisors
  • Meeting the GMC for high-level discussions
  • Developing and undertaking surveys of past applications
  • Attendance/presentations at conferences/meetings representing the College’s Portfolio Pathway work
  • Presenting webinars and in-person delegate event
  • Leading on at least one in-person faculty development session for Advisors per year
  • Delegation to Deputy Advisory Chair, as and when required

The Senior Adviser works extremely closely with the Portfolio Pathway Manager to determine what needs to be completed and by when.

Communication between the two will be important. The Portfolio Pathway Manager authors all evaluation forms but will liaise closely with the Advisory Chair to ensure the report is finalised to a high standard.  

The Advisory Chair will work alongside the Deputy Senior Adviser as well as fellow Advisers.

There are approximately 12 advisory meetings per year. The Advisory Chair would attend and chair the majority of these meetings. However, they are able to delegate (with plenty of notice) to the Deputy Advisory Chair when required. The review of evaluations will be on an ad-hoc basis (as and when they are ready throughout the month) and may take 30-60 minutes to review/approve. They may be some back and forth between the Advisory Chair and the Portfolio Pathway Manager to ensure the final write-up is finalised to a high standard. 

Education Board takes places quarterly and is usually on a Friday morning. 

Other activities will be on an ad-hoc basis and will be driven by the Advisory Chairs availability in most cases i.e. when to hold webinars etc.

This role reflects the present requirements of the post. As duties and responsibilities change and develop the role description will be reviewed and be subject to amendment in consultation with the post holder. 

The role description will be re-evaluated at the end of the term.  
A new Senior Adviser should be appointed at least three months before the end of the current holder's term of office and they should work closely together during this time in order to facilitate a smooth take-over period. The new Senior Adviser should be an experienced CESR/Portfolio Pathway Advisor.

Essential

• MRCOG/FRCOG
• Registered with a licence to practice with GMC, in good standing
• Fellow or Member of the College in a substantive post in NHS practice
• Twelve months or more experience (previous or current) as an Advisor on the Portfolio Pathway Advisory Group
• Evidence of equal opportunities and diversity training within previous 3 years

Essential

• Twelve months or more experience (previous or current) as an Advisor on the Portfolio Pathway Advisory Group
• Chairing meetings and mediating discussions
• Active involvement in training and education (for example, Educational Supervisor, a member of a School, College Tutor, Foundation Programme Director, Unit Training Director, Director of Medical Education etc.)

• Excellent and thorough attention to detail – providing a high level review of all written documentation
• Ability to work across and provide a clinical overview for multiple (often complex) workstreams
• Taking the lead and actively improving processes
• Strong understanding of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology core curriculum
• Strong understanding of the Portfolio Pathway process, including the introduction of new standards (knowledge, skills and experience)
• Commitment to lead a team to undertake assessments robustly and to a high standard of accuracy, and gaining an awareness of the complexities and challenges some assessments may bring
• Provide flexibility and be open to undertaking more assessments than usual, where possible, at periods when this is required i.e. when the College receives an extremely high number of applications

The 2019 RCOG CPD Guide can be found here.

Committee Chair/Member/Course Convenors and Organisers

If within your committee role or work as course convenor or organiser you gain knowledge which enhances patient care or leadership and technical skills (including for example, giving presentations, teaching sessions or mock examining) credits can be claimed as an ‘Experiential Learning Event’.

Reflection is required to claim credits for an Experiential Learning Event. 2 CPD credits are claimable following reflection. In addition 1 or 2 credits are claimable for an action following the learning (1 credit for a simple action, 2 credits for a complex action). To claim credits for an action, the individual needs to demonstrate how they have applied their learning to their practice, the service they provide and/or the potential impact of the learning.