A general practice project in Scotland could see team members taking on radical new roles, it was announced yesterday. At least 15 practices in the Inverclyde area are taking part in the project, backed by the Scottish government and the British Medical Association. Under the scheme, many patients will be diverted from GPs to other…

As you will recall from our earlier blog we are active supporters and disseminators of “Disability Confident,” the government scheme designed to help businesses become more confident about employing disabled people and to bridge the disability employment gap. Unfortunately, surveys like the one recently carried out by the charity Mencap (supporting people with learning disabilities) show…

Working from home. These three simple words seem to divide opinion amongst GP partners and practice managers. On the one hand, some see homeworking as disruptive, isolationist and damaging to team morale, while proponents of the idea argue that it’s more productive, boosts flexibility and is generally a better use of time. Looking at various…

Google is by far the most popular search engine. Across the globe, 88% of people searching the Internet on a desktop computer in November 2015 used Google. For mobiles the figure was even higher at 94%. So it’s important that when patients, prospective patients and their carers use Google to look up your practice, the…

A round up of the latest HR and Employment Law updates and related stories. MONITORING EMPLOYEE’S COMMUNICATION AND INTERNET USE A recent case in the European Court of Human Rights (the European Court), Barbulescu v Romania [2016] ECHR 61 has reviewed the question of employers monitoring employees’ personal communications at work. Although his employer had a…

Doctors’ leaders have condemned proposals for “exorbitant” increases in Care Quality Commission fees charged to GPs. The fee increases will hit small practices hardest. A practice with one location and up to 10,000 patients will see a seven-fold increase in fees in two years, according to the British Medical Association. This will mean them paying…

GPs in England could threaten to resign en masse if the government does not agree a “rescue package” for their profession. The proposal is to be discussed at a special conference of local medical committees later this month. The proposal comes from the Buckinghamshire local medical committee – but is backed by other areas, such…