By Robert Campbell In 2015, the minimum wage was just £3.87 at 18 – but £6.70 at 21. Is an age-based system right? It makes assumptions about younger people and their circumstances – or abilities… The recent Living Wage also uses age, applying only to those over 25. Currently £7.20 per hour – or 12p per…

A single provider could become responsible for emergency and primary care services in Oxfordshire, it has been revealed. Proposals would also include urgent care and community services. The county’s clinical commissioning group is making the move after the county failed to reach an agreement on providing integrated care. They also believe they can transfer “financial…

A topic that came up in conversation recently with a practice manager surrounded how GP practices can be responsive to the needs of its population. This is something that practices definitely need to keep an eye on, especially as it’s an area that CQC inspections focus on and given the population of the UK is…

By PM Polly A sketch? The meaning of description.  Apparently it means an account, a portrayal, a picture and also a sketch.  The latter perhaps could be the reason why a practice manager’s job description is usually completely inaccurate. It’s a sketch.  A draft.  A VERY rough copy.  An outline. All of these words are ambiguous…

By Robert Campbell The ‘heyday’ of purpose-built surgeries One of my first jobs was visiting and plotting on a map every surgery in Inner London, and later supporting doctors to bring their premises in Dudley, Wakefield, and Leeds up to standard. The premises varied from old church halls to enormous new buildings. This was when the…

A hospital trust has been awarded a 15-year contract to run a town’s GP services after a successful first year trial. Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust will provide services for some 20,000 people. It took over from a local practice last year after it was unable to recruit doctors. It has since hired five…

GP receptionists play a key role in determining the level of patient satisfaction with a practice, according to a new survey. Researchers analysed phone calls involving receptionists, identifying those that were helpful to patients and those that were not. The researchers found that “unhelpful” receptionists were in practices with relatively low patient satisfaction levels. Researchers…