Continuing Professional Development Policy

Code: E12

Date: 17/06/2014

Purpose:

To ensure that staff maintain continuing professional development appropriate to their needs.

Responsible Staff:

Implementation: Clinical Director

Action: All Staff

Audit: Practice Administrator

Audit:

 Training Resources:

Linked Policies:

Policy:

Both to ensure compliance with legislation and to maintain the highest possible standards of care for our clients, all practice team members are expected to participate in ongoing professional development programmes.

Clinical staff should follow the guidance of their appropriate supervising college or professional body.

Reception and administration staff must undergo annual CPR training and are invited to attend other appropriate training sessions as they become available.

Learning needs assessment forms part of the staff annual appraisal. Staff should prepare for their appraisal by giving consideration to their learning needs. These can then be addressed at the appraisal.

Where a learning or other development need becomes evident between appraisals, this should be brought to the attention of the staff manager. It should not wait until the next appraisal.

Clinical staff must maintain their own record of professional development activities. This must be available for review at staff appraisal, and in between times if deemed necessary by the Clinical Director.

The practice administrator shall keep a record of all training and educational activities undertaken by non-clinical staff.

Most reasonably incurred educational expenses will usually be met by the practice. This is subject to the availability of funds, the appropriateness of the activity to the practice and other considerations but access to funding will not unreasonably be denied.

There is no specific allocated educational budget but staff can be assured that at least $500 per staff member per year will be available to cover educational expenses.

Change Log:

12/04/2024:

Increased funding from $200 to $500

17/06/2014:

Minor wording changes not affecting meaning

Removal of deprecated practice manager role.