One question we’re often asked by practice managers is ‘how many appointments do I need to offer?’ It’s a critical issue for practices – yet it’s one that’s hard to answer.

GP leaders in Scotland say they have achieved a “historic” deal to tackle workload pressures. The country’s new GP contract will channel extra funding to the most pressed practices, according to the British Medical Association. There will also be funding for premises, aimed at reducing the risks partners face from owning buildings, from a £30…

Working at scale within general practice is big news. Rarely does a day go by without talk of mergers, federations, and Multi-Speciality Community Providers (MCPs) – and various organisations seem to be constantly running research and trials on the subject. While the various organisations involved with the above are busy following their own agendas, we…

Fun. Do we have enough at work? For most practices, the answer is probably no. Whilst there will always be a need to be serious, focused and professional – it’s the nature of what we do and the sector we work in – time must simply be found to have some fun. After all, there…

Dr Neil Paul, a GP in Sandbach and well-known commentator on primary care IT, says technology can help general practice to meet the pressures on it. However, he says this will take scale, funds and skills. General practice is facing two major challenges; demand and recruitment. Lots of people talk about the ageing population, and…

We are pleased to announce a series of training courses for practice managers, funded by NHS England to support development opportunities for all PMs across England. To register click here. If you hold a managerial role (eg. practice manager) at a GP practice in England then you can access the Practice Index eLearning Hub free of…

As a PM of a practice which has recently been awarded an ‘outstanding ‘rating by CQC  I have experienced a range of emotions. Before the inspection I felt anxious because, unfortunately, rightly or wrongly,  CQC ratings will be used to judge the practice in the future. During the two week build up to the inspection,…