As the number of patient contacts in general practice steadily rises and the nature of healthcare becomes increasingly complex, it is perhaps not surprising that many practices view telephone-based consultations and triage as a way of safely managing increasing demand while also meeting patients’ understandable desires for a timely response to their requests for urgent…

According to a recent survey by the BMA, GP morale remains in decline and is lower than any other branch of medicine. GPs in the survey of 451 doctors, conducted last December, scored an average of just 2.2 out of 5 for morale, down from 2.6 a year earlier. However, while GP morale grabs the…

In the 19th century there was a practice in American bars of enticing customers by offering a “free lunch“. The customer would need to buy just one drink to qualify for his “free lunch” but the food tended to be cheap and highly salted  …  so the customer would go on to spend more money…

When you receive communication telling you that your practice is in line for a CQC inspection, it’s understandable that your heart might sink and panic set in. After all, how will you find the time to replace those fabric curtains in your surgery with paper ones? And what will you replace your carpets with given…

A team member becoming pregnant needn’t be the ‘HR nightmare’ you envisage it to be if you plan ahead and know what your responsibilities are as a manager and an employer. The National Childbirth Trust (NCT) recommends that you set an informal catch-up with your colleague and work through this tick list fairly soon after…

NHS England’s Five Year Forward View recognises the potential benefits of GP practices working together with neighbouring practices, community hospitals and other providers to support efficient service delivery at a local level. New GP Federations are being established right across the country, bringing both opportunities and new challenges for practice managers. Much of the initial…