Individual Reviews
Invited individual reviews can help identify whether there is a cause for concern regarding the practice of an individual surgeon. This process has been designed to provide a fair, independent and professional review which will support - but not replace - existing local procedures for dealing with such issues.
In each case the IRM will provide a bespoke review, tailored to the specific requirements of the circumstances faced. The terms of reference for each review will be agreed between the referring organisation and the IRM, to ensure the scope of what is to be covered is well understood.
What issues can an individual review address?
Terms of reference can cover a number of different issues, including:
- an individual’s volume and scope of surgical procedures
- their standard of clinical decision making and surgical performance
- the quality of team working they have demonstrated in their clinical practice
- their level of engagement with clinical governance systems
In other cases there may be a single, specific issue that requires attention, which can be looked at in isolation where there is agreement that there are no wider concerns about an individual’s practice.
For example, this might relate to:
- a serious untoward incident or never event involving an individual surgeon
- an individual’s recently published surgical outcomes data
In all cases, the IRM will provide a comprehensive review that will comment on all of the relevant issues and make recommendations for addressing any concerns that have been identified.
How to request an individual review
Please complete and return an invited review request form.
Alternatively, if you would like to first discuss a situation which the invited review team may be able to assist with, please call us on 020 7869 6220 or email irm@rcseng.ac.uk.