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…

By Robert Campbell Famously, Matilda shouted fire so often that her final call of ‘Fire’ was ignored and the house burnt down.  In the days when the poem was written no one was aware of the need for a Risk Assessment. To me, I would associate a risk assessment with the inspection of a building…

By Robert Campbell The issue of annual leave in the NHS, I have discovered, is far from straightforward. Whilst the UK Government stipulates a standard 28 days annual leave regardless of length of service, the system in the NHS is convoluted to say the least. Here is a summary of what the Royal College of…

By Robert Campbell One of the hardest things to accomplish as a manager in a GP practice has to be building a team that works well together and can get the job done with the minimum of tears and tantrums. The task of integrating staff both new and experienced is not for the faint of…

Robert Campbell When I first started work in the NHS I was 16 years old and my take home pay for my first month at work was £23. I gave my mother £10 and bought a corduroy jacket. I started on the Clerical grade and over the next 25 years of my career, I progressed…

The very nature of a general practice in the UK is being challenged by ‘progress’; progress in new technology, personnel, and health and safety legislation.  Major changes are taking place in the way GP Practices are expected to provide services, how theses services are funded and managed, and how standards are monitored and measured. Working…

Robert Campbell Having spent over 45 years working in a supervisory or management role in the NHS and General Practice, I’ve seen the good and bad of fellow managers. Worker One of the first ‘traits’ I noticed when working at the age of 16, observing a boss who sat glued to a seat watching the…