Responsible Officers/Medical Directors (ROs/MDs) who have a clinical role must get patient feedback across their scope of practice. The GMCs guidance describes how doctors can meet the requirements and the medical Royal Colleges also give advice in relation to the individual specialities.

For ROs/MDs who do not have a clinical role, they still need to collect feedback on their performance. If they don’t see individual patients, they need to think more broadly who can give them this feedback. For example, in its broadest sense the relationship between the leader and the patients they serve, should be considered and reflected on with evidence from other sources reflecting their leadership role across their scope of practice.

Examples to consider and reflect on, the impact and any changes made

• CQC reports – more specifically ‘Caring’ outcome measure
• Friends and family test for each organisation within the scope of your practice
• Governance data – complaints – organisation approach and your role within that, trends and action taken to remedy underlying causes
• Overall patient feedback from units/directorates
• Challenges faced by RO/organisation in getting patient feedback (for the doctors and teams) and action taken in response
• Work and relationship with patients/groups contribution to their development/input to the organisation
• Patient partnerships in the organisation
• Work and relationship with lay partners/colleagues and contribution to their development/input to the organisation
• Alternative feedback to consider from those who the RO line and or performance manages rather than those who may be specific colleagues; consider the trial feedback tool
• NHS England guidance on obtaining patient feedback in non-standard situations

Released March 2018.