Continuity planning is important for any business and the time to do it is now, not when the cracks start appearing. As far as staffing is concerned, no matter how stable the workforce, it’s always possible for a crisis to land on the practice manager’s desk.  This could range from a valued member of staff…

According to a recent survey by the BMA, GP morale remains in decline and is lower than any other branch of medicine. GPs in the survey of 451 doctors, conducted last December, scored an average of just 2.2 out of 5 for morale, down from 2.6 a year earlier. However, while GP morale grabs the…

A team member becoming pregnant needn’t be the ‘HR nightmare’ you envisage it to be if you plan ahead and know what your responsibilities are as a manager and an employer. The National Childbirth Trust (NCT) recommends that you set an informal catch-up with your colleague and work through this tick list fairly soon after…

Mindfulness is a massive buzzword at the moment, celebrated by all manner of celebs but also fully recognised now by the NHS as a potential means to preventing or remedying burnout, stress and depression. Practising mindfulness in some way could be hugely beneficial to Practice Managers, since it’s built on the premise that by slowing…

Burnout of all staff – not just GPs – is a real concern for practices up and down the country. An incredible four out of every ten GPs have taken or expect to take time off because of burnout as a result of increasing workloads and intense scrutiny, according to a survey by Pulse magazine.…

You’re only human. We’re sure you’ve said things in the office before that you regretted immediately, and it’s possible that you have ways of communicating with your team even now that might not send out the most positive message. Have a look through some of our worst Practice Manager clangers inspired by stories from Dave…

One of the questions Practice Index was asked by a practice manager recently related to staffing numbers and whether or not there was a formula for the correct number of staff to patients. The honest answer is that there isn’t one, although we can look at statistical data to find out what the average staff:patient…