Reflections on performance.

This qualitative study looked at the value of appraisal for nurses. It was conducted with clinical staff in one health district at a time when the NHS was in the middle of the drives towards efficiency and effectiveness. Although participants in the study identified ways in which appraisal could help them in their work, they also highlighted a culture of suspicion and indifference that limited their effectiveness. The findings of the research emphasise the value of, and need for, appraisal for nurses, and offer suggestions for methods of ensuring success in the enterprise.