We're well in to our appraisal season - which ends on the 30th June -  and we've been talking to managers about how they've achieved such great completion rates so early on in the season.

Our Children's Community Home Care Team have a fabulous 100% compliance. And whilst there are generally fewer staff in the team than a ward or department, the challenges in making sure colleagues who work in the community get the support they need around appraisals and 1-2-1s are different to teams based in our hospitals or health centres.

Staff nurses, Julie O'Halloran and Marie Beeson (pictured left), told us: "Our carers work with individual students in schools. So when we're planning appraisals and 1-2-1's we try, where we can, to book in for times when we know members of the team are doubled up at a school that day".

Julie added: "Marie and I will often go along to the schools where the carers are based so it's easier for them. The important thing is to have the appraisal, which sometimes means we'll do them in an informal setting".

Ward 7AD stroke rehab ward (bottom right) have a compliance rate of 92.5% and manager Becky Sykes gave us her pearls of wisdom as to how they're doing so well:

"I make sure I'm prepared and I ask colleagues to come along prepared too - with ideas of what they want to achieve over the next 12 months.

" We have a list of dates and names pinned up so people know when their appraisal is. The trick for managers is to log them in ESR as soon as they're completed".

And ward 7AD isn't alone....as Path Histopathology are at a huge 96.43%. 

Cellular Pathology Laboratory Manager, Jill Haigh, told us: "We started on day one of appraisal season (1st April). We scheduled all our dates in advance and barring a couple of times where we've had sickness, they've all gone to plan. 

"We have a great senior team and we divide the appraisals up amongst us all, so the responsibilty isn't all on one person's shoulders."

Other teams currently performing well above 90% include: HRI Special School Nursing (100%), Heatherstone, Intermediate Care (100%), HRI Surgical Procedures Unit (100%) and Appointment Services (90.91%).

So a reminder to colleagues and managers - if you've not planned in yours appraisal/s yet please make sure they're scheduled in and completed by the end of June. There's loads of guidance on the intranet - as well as table of top performing teams.