What is the purpose of the Annual Review of Progression?
The Annual Review of Progression (ARP) is a supportive process available to HSST trainees and their workplace supervisors to evaluate progression and to address any issues as early as possible in order to facilitate successful completion of the programme.
The Annual Review of Progression is used to:
- Provide an opportunity for trainees and their workplace supervisors to evaluate, and indicate to the National School of Healthcare Science (NSHCS), a trainee’s progress on the programme appropriate to their stage of training.
- Identify any concerns, issues or barriers that need to be addressed to help with a trainee’s progression and completion of the programme.
- Review all data held by the NSHCS for their programme to ensure accuracy and common understanding of programme requirements and deadlines.
- Give confidence to trainees, workplace supervisors and commissioners that training is being monitored and support and advice is being offered as appropriate.
It is expected that all active HSST trainees and their workplace supervisors participate in the ARP and it is intended to be a supportive and helpful process which may help to mitigate risks with issues in completing the programme.
Annual Review of Progression activities timeline
| Activity | When | Who |
| Meet to review progress and training plan | Monthly | Trainee and training supervisor |
| Advanced notification of ARP | October | NSHCS |
| ARP opens | Early November | NSHCS |
| Complete individual ARP evaluation form online | November | Trainee and training supervisor |
| Raise concern/report exception (if applicable) | ||
| Conduct and record review of progress on OneFile | ||
| ARP closes | Early December | NSHCS |
| Conduct review of progress | December | NSHCS |
| Support activities | January onwards | Trainee, training supervisor, university, NSHCS |
What information should be provided for the Annual Review of Progression?
- Confirmation of accuracy of data held, accounting for any adjustments/changes, planning for professional exams e.g., IAPS, Royal College of Pathology or CEng exams and shared understanding of programme deadlines.
- If there are barriers to progression, trainee and/or training supervisor to confirm these via the ‘raising a concern’ section of the form. Failure to report issues with progress in a timely way may impact on future adjustments that can be offered including extensions, step offs, entry into exams and completion of programmes. Find out more about how to raise a concern.
- Completion of a review of progress meeting discussion between trainee and supervisor in the e-portfolio by the required deadline.
- Engagement and progress on the academic component; this must be appropriate to a trainee’s pathway/stage through the programme.
Conducting a review of progress on OneFile
We recommend that you and your workplace supervisor schedule a meeting prior to the Annual Review of Progression to review the training plan and discuss progress. A post review meeting will also be necessary to discuss the outcome and update the training plan as appropriate.
The e-portfolio contains a feature which we call the review meeting tool. This provides the functionality to record the details of progress review meetings, which can be done at any time and as regularly as trainee and Training Supervisor/Officer find useful.
Watch this short video for guidance on how to use the review meeting tool to record the details of progress review meetings.
In the e-portfolio, the Training Supervisor is required to set up the review meeting. For the purposes of the annual review of progress, we recommend that trainee and Training Supervisor should complete an end of year review meeting that is recorded using the review meeting tool in the e-portfolio during the review period.