A perennial problem for general practice is the issue of missed appointments or ‘did not attends’ (DNAs) – and it’s not getting any better. A recent study published in the British Journal of General Practice found that rates of missed GP appointments have not changed much at all over the past 20 years. According to…

Reviews. As a practice manager you’ve got to love them! You’ll go for weeks delivering exemplary treatment and service and there’ll be silence on NHS Choices or Google Reviews. Yet that one patient who has decided your service is less than perfect will turn out to be a review superstar, spreading one-star reviews everywhere you…

Last week, I wrote a blog explaining why it’s good practice to give a presentation to your team about how the CQC inspects practices, particularly as a lot has changed over the past few months, including the CQC’s regulatory approach. What hasn’t changed is the fact that you still have a 30-minute opportunity to shine,…

I was really excited when James from Practice Index approached me with the idea of a ‘practice manager panel’ where we could discuss topical issues on the podcast.  The practice manager voice hasn’t always been as strong as it could be on the General Practice podcast, and this was the perfect opportunity to put that…

This year’s flu vaccination season looks set to be the most important one in recent memory – and probably the most complex practice managers will have experienced. With the threat of a catastrophic second wave of Covid-19 infections hanging over the health service, ensuring as many people as possible receive the required vaccination is critical.…

A PM colleague who seems to be well ahead of the game forwarded this letter to me: https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2020/03/C0569-Second-phase-of-General-Practice-response-to-COVID-19–update-to-GP-contracts-and-income-protection-a.pdf This innocuous looking letter has somehow sneaked into the system although I’m sure I haven’t seen it before. As always, it’s dated after some of the changes it mentions so we’re already behind before we’ve even started.…

Warning! It’s now time to reset the answerphone message from “I’m out of the office indefinitely” to a more welcoming and possibly more professional version. Why? Well, the CQC is coming to a telephone near you! No need for mass hysteria, but the brow does become slightly wrinkled when we ponder what our colleagues at…