This document identifies the various components inquired for a successful practice professional development plan and also provides guidance on structure and content.
  1. The plan should include all doctors within the practice, that is principals, salaried doctors, retainers and long-term locums and the involved doctors should be listed at the start of the plan along with their role. It can be extended to others working within the practice if so wished.
  2. Based on the practice vision and aims for the year, areas for development should be identified and should be categorised as follows:
    How does the PPDP help meet:
    1. Individual practitioners needs
    2. Practice development needs
    3. Primary Care Group priorities
    4. National Health Service priorities
  3. The methods used to identify these needs should be identified. For example, audit of care, critical case analysis, quality development programmes, appraisal.
  4. From these the educational needs of the practice should be identified and listed.
  5. How the educational needs are to be met should be listed. This can be, for example, by meetings, further audits, and critical case analysis.
  6. The practice professional development plan must give evidence of how success or otherwise of these activities is to be assessed. Possible methods are audit, development of practice guidelines, or new activities undertaken.
    If audit is chosen, the following grid should be followed:
    1. What was your aim
    2. What evidence was collected before the activity, after the activity
    3. What conclusions have been reached
    4. What change is planned within the practice as a result of this.
  7. At the end of each cycle, with your application for a further PPDP, you should submit a report outlining how well your previous cycle objectives have been met. If they have not been achieved, you should use the four audit questions outlined above to identify why and facilitate future plans.