On 3rd April, my practice wrote a letter to all our patients to tell them about the pressures general practice is under and what this means for them in terms of their care. I was pretty nervous about sending it out, as we know how things can be portrayed and how some people seem to…

Right care, first time Practice managers are launching a major campaign to tackle public frustration at the delays in gaining GP appointments. The “Right Care First Time” campaign, launched by the Institute of General Practice Management (IGPM), aims to encourage patients to recognise that they may get the right care by going directly to other…

NHS England recently published a letter outlining details of the 2024/25 GP contract. Not many of us were expecting a huge windfall for practices this year, but even so, it was still a shock to find out just how little is being invested in general practice in the coming year. In this month’s podcast, I…

It’s been another busy February at Practice Index. Catch up on anything you missed here… Best of our blogs I predict a riot… who’s with me? – By Paula the PM – The long-awaited GP Contract letter 2024/25 has been published. I’d like to say that I was shocked, except I’m not. What wonderful suggestions do…

Cloud phones hit practice budgets The BMA has warned that practices are facing rising costs while trying to implement cloud-based telephony. Implementation was included in the GP contract as a key factor in helping practices handle appointments. But some practices are facing huge increases in the costs of phone systems. The BMA has warned that…

Survey points to Practice Manager earnings Practice Managers earn nearly £50,000 on average, but with significant variations from practice to practice, according to a new survey of the profession in Pulse magazine. The average earnings of a full-time Manager are £48,802. The survey found that salaries range from £20,000 to £100,000 – although this includes…

Would healthcare services be continuing a digital revolution trajectory if we hadn’t been hit by a global pandemic? Would e-consultations and video consultations have seen such a surge in use? And why did it take a pandemic to introduce significant changes to the way general practice uses technology? For a lot of people working in…