15/04/2020: Medical Council & PCS advice
Email circulated to all on PCS on 15/04/2020.
COVID-19 and CPD – Medical Council Guidance
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The Medical Council has asked the Postgraduate Medical Training Bodies to send all PCS enrolees a further update regarding CPD engagement and compliance.
The Medical Council’s advice indicates:
▪ Doctors will not be required to make a declaration about their maintenance of professional competence when retaining their registration in 2020.
▪ The Medical Council and Professional Competence Schemes will not verify or audit doctors’ CPD records for the 2019/20 Scheme Year.
▪ Doctors will not be required to make up any shortfall in CPD requirements for the 2019/2020 Scheme Year.
▪ The Medical Council advises doctors to retain their enrolment with their Professional Competence Scheme.
Link for this and further Medical Council information: https://www.medicalcouncil.ie/covid-19/
The Medical Council has advised Training Bodies to annotate all Scheme enrolees’ Statements of Participation in a Professional Competence Scheme for the 2019/20 Scheme year with “COVID19”, to indicate that there are extenuating circumstances which may have prevented enrolees from engaging in and recording the required CPD activity for this Scheme year, ending 30th April 2020.
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30TH APRIL IS 2019/20 PCS YEAR END. CPD DIARY YEAR WILL CLOSE ON WEDNESDAY 13TH MAY: Log your CPD credits and confirm Clinical (Practice) Audit by 13th May latest, in order to have them included in your 2019/20 Statement of Participation in a Professional Competence Scheme. Make sure you enter a date before 1st May, to have the data accrue in the 2019/20 PCS year.
ANNUAL PCS STATEMENTS: The College of Psychiatrists will issue Statements of Participation in a Professional Competence Scheme by email only, after 13th May. The statements will display whatever CPD credits and Clinical (Practice) Audit you have logged in your online CPD Diary. As stated above, we will not be following up or carrying out verification processes on the 2019/20 PCS year.
PCS 2020/21 ENROLMENT: Invoices for 2020/21 PCS enrolment will issue by email in mid-May. Prior notice of mandated Direct Debits has been emailed to the relevant enrolees.
ASSISTANCE: We understand there are many difficulties and pressures on psychiatrists at the moment. The PCS Department is working (from home) to help with any of your professional competence or CPD queries. Please do contact me, Louise or Laura if we can assist you in any way.
LINKS TO INFORMATION ON CPSYCHI WEBSITE:
COVID & CPD guidance
COVID & College information, resources and links
Hot Topics eModules (available to College Members)
CONTACTS:
General queries, guidance – Lorna O’Callaghan lorna@irishpsychiatry.ie
Invoicing, enrolment – Louise Bunyan louise@irishpsychiatry.ie
CPD approvals, Hot Topics eModules – Laura Breen lbreen@irishpsychiatry.ie