Last year, Practice Index’s survey of practice manger workloads found that 97% feel they are overloaded. That, in turn, means the appointment of assistant practice managers is becoming far more commonplace in practices up and down the country. But how can APMs, as we’ll call them, be used most successfully and efficiently? And can they make a difference?

The answer to the latter question is most definitely yes – APMs can be of huge benefit to stressed practice managers – but when it comes to defining their job role it’s a different story. A recent thread on the Practice Index Forum looked to address the topic, with much success, and it’s clear that there’s plenty to think about when recruiting an APM. Here are some key points that should help you make the position work:

One size doesn’t fit all

It’s clear from listening to practices that APMs perform different roles in different practices, so when recruiting it’s worth hiring based on your individual requirements. Ask yourself:

• What are the practice’s needs?
• Do you want them to concentrate on one area, or have more responsibility in a particular area – for example running reception, or managing the day-to-day accounts?
• What are your own strengths and weaknesses? Could you employ someone who is better in areas that you find more difficult in order to free your time for the parts of the job you excel at?

Play to their strengths

If you have a potential recruit in mind, or you’re promoting from within, what are the strengths of that individual? Are they better on the operation side of things or are they admin wonders? Does that person know about and understand NHS systems? What can they do better than you? What skills can they bring that you need?

A good case study comes from a practice that moved from special measures to a Good CQC rating in a matter of months. One element the inspectors particularly liked was the fact that the APM – a strong people person with great interpersonal skills and experience of hosting meetings – had been attending patient participation groups to hear their views and was making a proactive difference to the practice’s communication and leadership.

Carefully define your job description

With the above couple of points in mind, it’s worth drawing up an accurate, bespoke job description for your APM vacancy. That will help you recruit the right person based on what you really need.

An accurate job description will also allow you to work out whether your APM will work full-time or part-time, so try to be as detailed as possible.

It’s not a dumping ground!

When building up a job description it’s worth remembering that hiring an APM isn’t an excuse to simply dump all of the jobs you don’t like doing (we appreciate that it would be great if you could get away with it!). By all means get rid of some and do look for a person that, for example, could take nasty IT issues off your hands. Just don’t expect them to do all of the unpleasant tasks.

Keep evolving the role

The above point leads onto the fact that the APM role – and job description – needs to be a fluid one that constantly evolves. Once you’ve recruited or promoted somebody, what are they proving to be particularly good at and what are they less confident or competent at? What else could they take on? Keep reviewing the role with your APM on a regular basis and you’ll find it mutually beneficial.

Training counts

A common failing we hear from APMs is that they don’t feel fully integrated into the practice team – usually because they aren’t being given enough guidance by their practice manager. Just because you know everything inside out, don’t assume your APM does.

Encourage them to ask questions and make training a priority so that they know what you’re talking about, including the numerous acronyms that are mentioned, and have a full understanding of all practice policies and systems.

What are your views on assistant practice managers? Can they be a help and, if so, how? Add your thoughts to the thread on the Practice Index forum here or comment below.

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