Figures published today by NHS England highlight the acute problem of long delays for secondary care referrals. A problem that, once again, often falls on frontline GP practice care to deal with. According to the latest figures, nearly 225,000 people in England have waited over a year for routine hospital treatment. That’s the highest number…

The homeless are a group of people I have a particular passion to try and support. It may be that, being ex-military, I’ve come across a few of my brothers on the streets, or it could be that I can empathise with rough sleepers as I also know how bloomin’ cold it is to sleep…

Managers are all too aware of the perennial issue of recruitment to ensure that practices have enough employees, but in these changing COVID-19 times, the goalposts on recruitment appear to be changing. A long-standing reliance on expensive locums may be due for a switch, with GPs becoming far more willing to agree to salaried positions…

Another stealthy letter has passed across my desk. I’d missed it among the never-ending torrent of paperwork and guidance. Somehow it only slipped into my consciousness today; clearly, I must have been asleep at the end of last week. Last day of the month and last thing on a Friday – really? I must start…

Improving working relationships with GP partners: what do partners think? You may have a clear idea of what an effective relationship looks like between practice manager and partners but would the partners in your practice agree? What do they want from a good practice manager? And what do PMs need from them? We asked GP…

The arrival of a new baby is undoubtedly amazing, but it’s also stressful, overwhelming and changes the parents’ lives in every way. Of course, there are also sleepless nights to contend with and a great deal of worry about caring for this new little person. Nothing really prepares you for the experience! Bearing in mind…

For practice managers, one of the biggest headaches is staffing. Recruiting new staff, retaining existing people, managing salary (and pension) costs and generally ensuring a practice has the right balance of personnel is tough. Then there’s the CQC’s safe staffing agenda to worry about. According to the CQC, Safe, effective staffing is about “having enough…