FAQs - MSF tool

I am a clinical and/or educational supervisor working in an NHS organisation in London and the SE and I want to take part?

Not a problem. We have now opened the NEW tool to all supervisors across London and the SE. You can sign up for an account for free here https://supervisormsf.hee.nhs.uk/supervisor

I am a supervisor working in London and the SE, is this the same tool that I have used previously?

 Yes. However, we have made improvements to the system, and developed the programme to make it more user friendly.

I am already using the MSF, how will this affect me?

The MSF Tool has not changed. You will receive an email informing you that you can continue to use your existing account for some time to come, allowing you an opportunity to complete the process fully.

My organisation already sends me a supervisor MSF to complete. Shall I use this tool instead?

We understand that some localities have their own 360 questionnaires for the development of their supervisors, however not all do.  Completion of this tool is voluntary and is not linked to any other tools/questionnaires that may be used locally. If you already complete an MSF 360 on your skills as a supervisor, you will still need to undertake your local requirements. The MSF Tool for Supervisors will therefore be an additional tool and we would like supervisors to try it so we can get feedback on it.

How does the tool work?

Once you have completed the registration process and accessed your account you will be prompted to complete the self-assessment questionnaire.  You will also be asked to nominate your 5 learners (Raters) by providing their contact email address. The system will then automatically email your learners individually, asking them to complete the feedback questionnaire. It is good practice therefore that you let your learners know in advance. The system will send your learners reminders until they have completed the feedback questionnaire. Once 3 learners have provided feedback, you will receive a partial feedback report, and then a full feedback report when all 5 have learners have provided you with feedback.

Tell me more about the feedback report e.g., do I need to share the feedback I receive?

You will receive the feedback report as a confidential PDF document to the email address you used at the point of registration. It will contain the feedback received from your learners along with your self-assessment, all collated in one document. It will be sent only to you. It is up to you how you use the feedback received. An example of a feedback report can be found here.

I understand that I need to nominate 5 learners – is there strict criteria on who I can nominate?

Not exactly. You need to nominate 5 learners that you have supervised in the past year. But these can be learners from undergraduate as well as postgraduate healthcare education as well as multi-professional learners that you may be supervising. What is important is that they can provide you with constructive feedback on your skills as a supervisor.

It is good practice that you let them know in advance that you will be allocating them as ‘raters’ in the tool. You can send the following Learner FAQs to provide them with further information - https://london.hee.nhs.uk/msf-tool-faqs-raters.

Is there a deadline on when I should use the tool?

Yes. The MSF tool is available for 12- months, until April 2023.  During this time, HEE will be opening the tool nationally and conduct an evaluation of the tool to study its usefulness and see if any changes need to be made. You will be sent an online questionnaire for you to provide feedback. The feedback you provide once you have used the tool therefore, will inform the development of the national tool.

How does the MSF tool for supervisors help with my professional development portfolio?

It is up to you how you use the feedback. Supervisors who have completed the tool previously have stated that they found the constructive feedback useful in their appraisal and informing their professional development as a supervisor to meet the GMC approval of trainers process.