The Institute of General Practice Management (IGPM) has recently launched formal accreditation for Practice Managers. Three of their directors recently joined me to talk about the accreditation process, and you can listen to our conversation here. I think this is a really important initiative, both for individual Practice Managers and the profession as a whole in helping to gain the recognition they deserve.

Here are 10 reasons why Practice Managers should take the step to become accredited:

1. Professional recognition. It has been a long time coming, but finally Practice Managers are receiving formal, professional recognition for the work they do. By becoming accredited, each Practice Manager has the opportunity to obtain recognition for themselves.
2. Sense of accomplishment. As part of the accreditation process, Practice Managers compile a portfolio of what they’ve done. Just taking the time to reflect on everything they’ve achieved has provided a huge sense of accomplishment for those who have undertaken the process already.
3. Initials after your name! All those who successfully complete the accreditation process can put the initials MIGPM (Member of the Institute of General Practice Management) after their name.
4. Development of tailored training. The accreditation framework is already enabling training organisations to build education programmes around it. NHS England is already doing this. It means that, for maybe the first time ever, training is being specifically tailored to the needs of Practice Managers. The more Practice Managers who undertake accreditation, the clearer the training needs will become and the more tailored the training programmes will become for individuals.
5. Investment in own CPD. The accreditation framework provides a document that both Practice Managers and those aspiring to become Practice Managers can use to identify areas that could be strengthened, and from this document they can develop their own training programme. Working towards accreditation provides a clear rationale for Practice Managers (and their practices!) to invest in their training.
6. Tool for succession planning. The great thing about the accreditation framework is that it can provide a clear pathway for Deputy Practice Managers or those aspiring to become Practice Managers to understand what’s needed to be able to make the step up. Once Practice Managers are accredited, they can use their knowledge of the process to support their team and put clear succession plans in place.
7. Some funding already available. The accreditation process is not free, but the good news is that many places around the country, such as Greater Manchester and West Sussex, have already put financial support in place for those wanting to put themselves forward. Just contact your regional IGPM representative to find out if there’s any funding available in your area.
8. New to partnership payment scheme. Until now, Practice Managers have been excluded from the new to partnership payment scheme (the primary reason given for this by NHS England was that there was no way to discern Practice Managers from any other non-clinical professionals). Now, accreditation provides a clear route for distinguishing Practice Managers from others – one that will hopefully open the door to the scheme for Practice Managers in the future.
9. Strengthen the profession. The more Practice Managers who become accredited, the stronger the profession as a whole becomes. Until now, practice management hasn’t really been recognised as a profession in its own right, but as more Practice Managers become accredited, not only will the process be seen as robust but the profession itself will be strengthened; it will become more firmly established alongside other professions in primary care.
10. Next step Royal College of Practice Management? For the directors of the IGPM, accreditation is only one step in the journey to making sure that Practice Managers are properly recognised. Once sufficient numbers of Practice Managers have gained accreditation, then the potential future goal of a Royal College of Practice Management becomes one step closer.