Here are a few tips to help your smooth departure from the practice:

• Handover to staff and partners well in advance of your leaving date
• Communicate changes with staff and reassure them
• Provide interim management arrangements, if applicable
• Pass on passwords and security information to the right people
• Ensure someone responsible has access to the bank accounts, financial records and payroll information
• Pass on any going matters, such as staff issues
• Make a list of pending items and outstanding items (you can’t complete everything before you go!)
• Ensure practice information, such as practice leaflet and website, is updated

Choosing your Replacement

The recruitment of a replacement practice manager is a lengthy and time-consuming task. In this the partners have two main options available:

1. Promote internally – The advantage is that the person chosen is already known to staff and partners, and this adheres to the concept of encouraging local skill-building and career progression. The disadvantage is that in not widening the net you may miss out on selecting the best person who has the right skills.
2. Recruit a new manager – This also has its advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand a person new to the practice may bring in fresh ideas and working practices, which an established member of staff would find difficult to implement. On the other hand, established staff may find it difficult to adapt to new ideas, especially from a stranger, and this could lead to disruption.

Remember that CQC is taking a particularly interest in leadership and management of the practice and may scrutinise the processes of recruiting and selecting candidates to key roles.

Have you considered using the Practice Index Recruitment Service

When a practice manager role is leaving their role, there is a lot to do and recruiting a successor is another time-consuming task.  There are many advantages to using a professional service who have a wealth of experience in recruiting managers in General Practice, including taking all the stress and worry out of your hands.

There might be one or two staff in the practice that are interested in becoming the Practice Manager, however, are they the right people?  Do they have the right skills and experience?  By using an independent service it ensures an objective and fair process, which invites applications from inside and outside the practice.  If internal staff apply, they will compete fairly against outside candidates and you can be sure that whoever succeeds will be the right person for the job.

The Practice Index Recruitment Service includes:

• An initial meeting with the partners and practice to take a brief
• Advice on what the practice should look for, including qualifications, skills, experience, personal attributes, as well as what terms and conditions should be offered
• Preparation of advert and detailed practice profile, job description and personal specification
• Placing advertising and handling all enquires
• Assessing the candidates for short-listing
• Ensuring avoidance of any potential claims for discrimination or unfairness
• Running a vigorous two-day interviewing process with tried and tested processes
• Facilitating the final decision to ensure the right candidate is offered the job
• Providing the offer letter, taking up references, reviewing the contract of employment
• On-going support as needed, including in-house training and facilitating performance reviews

Full details of our Practice Manager Recruitment Service can be found by here.