Making the headlines recently was the suggestion made by RCGP Wales that the Welsh Government should merge practice nurse and district nurse roles to create generic ‘primary care nurse’ posts closely linked to surgeries. The RCGP Wales outgoing chair Dr Paul Myres argued that patients currently get ‘fragmented’ care, which lacks continuity, because they have…

Employer’s duties regarding relationships between colleagues We spend so much time at work that close personal relationships between colleagues is inevitable. To support this, USA has led the way in “consensual relationship agreements,” often referred to as a “Love Contract.” These are typically based around equality and sexual harassment policies and enable couples to “declare”…

When welcoming the team of CQC Inspectors to the surgery, no doubt you will have some questions to ask them. Who are they? What are their credentials? What experience have they of general practice? What can they ask you about and what rights do they have when asking you questions? However, you will find that…

A round up of the latest HR and Employment Law updates and related stories.  EMPLOYERS MUST CARRY OUT A “BALANCING EXERCISE” TO DEAL WITH LONG-TERM ABSENCE Dealing with long term absence remains a concern for employers as the recent case of Monmouthshire County Council -V- Harris [2015] UKEAT/0332/14/DA, illustrates. The Claimant (C), had been employed…

Currently 64% of NHS Trusts, don’t offer free Wi-Fi to their patients, though could a small investment go towards improving your patient’s experience? Free Wi-Fi is currently available almost everywhere else but within (a majority of) the NHS, with security being cited as one of the main reasons, in addition to costs. Though if restaurants,…

Pressure on general practice has created a significant increase in practice managers thinking of leaving their jobs. Whether the ever-increasing workload, rising stress levels and suffocating bureaucracy being suffered by practice managers leads to a mass exodus or a steady outflow, nobody knows. What we do know however is that, while the GP shortage grabs…

Facebook is a great way of getting instant messages out to patients. Planning a flu jab clinic? Post the date on Facebook together with info on how to book an appointment. Closing early for staff training next week? Use Facebook to let your patients know. Whether you’re telling patients about what’s going on in the…