I’m sure we’ve all heard things in our day-to-day lives that have shocked us, angered us, filled us with passion or other emotions.

One line that sticks with me was uttered by my fellow IGPM Director, Jo Wadey. When she asked why practice managers were not included in the English Government’s New to Partnership Scheme, the response she received was, “Because practice managers are not a recognised, accredited profession.”

This response helped drive the formation of the Institute of General Practice Management, and 18 months later, we have over 1,000 paid-up members who have chosen us to represent them and their profession.

We know practice managers play an incredibly valuable role, and that general practice would fail without us being there to help hold it up.

“So, if we’re not a recognised, accredited profession”, we said to each other, “let’s do something about that.”

And here we are, introducing you to the Accreditation Framework from the IGPM. It’s been over a year in the making, but it’s finally here.

Myself, my fellow directors, a working group consisting of three of our regional representatives, and Professor James Kingsland have established a framework consisting of ten domains that broadly make up the role of any manager working in general practice in the UK.

We also listened to the feedback on what our members wanted to see from the process – not exams or lengthy submissions of coursework; we simply don’t have the time for that.

Applicants are assessed via an application form, with two references in support, and if they meet the standards set out in our domains, they become a Member of the Institute of General Practice Management, with the letters MIGPM to be used after their name.

However, the framework also has another purpose. It provides a clear career pathway for aspiring managers, new managers or those simply looking for more development. It speaks to training providers and tells them what it is we do in our role, and therefore what we actually need support with. We face a potential succession crisis in our profession, and we hope that by having a professional body and an accreditation scheme, this might help to attract new people into practice management.

The process has been through many changes and a rigorous assessment process for an initial 12 applicants to ensure it’s fair, clear and robust. We’ve also shared it with NHS England, various LMCs and training hubs to demonstrate the roles we carry out but also the gaps in training provision that exist for a role so integral and varied as ours. Our representatives in the devolved nations are also sharing it with the relevant bodies.

It’s been a long journey to get here, but I’m so excited to share it with you.

If you’re an IGPM member and would like to become an Accredited member, you can find out more here. 

If you’d like to join the IGPM, sign up here.