One of the things that most practice managers will agree is relatively unpleasant is conducting staff appraisals. To be effective they need to be open and honest, yet handled incorrectly they can be damaging to staff morale and the employee’s sense of worth. That’s why even the toughest receptionists quake at the thought of their…

A paper commissioned by NHS employees earlier this year said training non-medical staff to do the work of doctors could be a ‘rapid solution’ to the practice workforce crisis. On the face of it freeing up trained – and expensive – clinical staff to focus on the work that only they can do, while getting admin…

By Robert Campbell  This is the third ‘blog’ in a series looking at the pay and conditions ‘enjoyed’ by GP Practice Staff. In particular, this ‘blog’ will discuss sick pay, statutory and employers. As an ‘employer’ a GP Practice must pay Statutory Sick Pay to staff but it is not required to continue to pay normal…

As we reported some time ago (see here) the case of Metroline West Ltd v Ajaj UKEAT/0185/15/RN involved bus driver Mr Ajaj and his employers who were concerned about the “genuineness of the nature and extent” of injuries that led to Mr Ajaj being off work. In reality, there have probably been times when we…

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…

A topic that we’re often asked about is mandatory training for members of the GP practice team – and more specifically, what the CQC expects to happen in practices. The topic is actually one that’s addressed in the excellent CQC mythbuster series – available on the CQC website. This handy guidance outlines exactly what inspectors…