Annual Review of Competence Progression

ARCPs

All trainees are required to undergo an Annual Review of Competency Progression (ARCP) annually to support both training progression and revalidation. There is a requirement to submit evidence of progression using the Lifelong Learning Platform. You will receive an invite for ARCP from HEIW within 8 weeks of your ARCP with full details of what is required, including the completion of Form R (which must be uploaded to the LLP). If you have not had any correspondence from HEIW and you think your ARCP is due imminently, you should contact your Training Programme Director. Please adhere to the ESSR submission dates on the ARCP dates page.

If you are on sick leave/maternity/shared parental leave, you will still be invited for an ARCP to satisfy the annual requirement, but you will not need to submit any evidence. You will be awarded a sickness/maternity outcome and a further ARCP will be individually planned outside of the main timelines. Trainees on OOP will be contacted by the Training Programme Director to clarify ARCP requirements

In the event of an unsatisfactory outcome, you will be invited to a meeting with the Head of School and Training Programme Director to discuss a targeted training plan.

Video Guides

Several videos are available to help you prepare your LLP for ARCP. See these here.
There is also a video presentation, created by Dr Simon Ford, to help you prepare your LLP for ARCP. You can watch it via the link below:
LLP preparation for ARCP.

Checklists

The Anaesthesia ARCP checklists for 2025 have been updated and are available on the Stage 1,2,3 pages. Please discuss with your ES and arrange an appointment for your ESSR completion in good time. The format and outcomes for ARCP are based upon the latest guidance from the RCOA and the Statutory Education Bodies of the four nations.
Anaesthesia trainees need to accept the ARCP outcome on receipt of the LLP email to ensure it is appropriately recorded with the RCoA.

Educational Supervisors Structured Report:

CT1-ST7 trainees are required to complete their ESSR for their ARCP on the RCoA Lifelong learning platform. The trainee must initiate an ESSR before it may be viewed and completed by the Educational Supervisor and College Tutor. It is imperative that the Educational Supervisor and College Tutor are named on the trainee's LLP, otherwise the reports will not be visible to the ARCP review panel.

Trainees are required to generate one ESSR for EACH hospital they rotate through in their training year (6 month placements thus require 2 ESSRs for the year). You must complete an ESSR with the ES and CT before rotating to the next placement so there is a clear record of training immediately on completion of the placement. Please make sure that you change your ES and place of work at each rotation to be able to generate the ESSR.