Increasing red-tape has played a key role in driving young doctors to leave general practice, according to a new study. The study, in the British Journal of General Practice, reveals the motives of some 143 doctors under the age of 50 for leaving the NHS. Researchers said the increase in administrative tasks and workload had…

Professor Steven Field CBE Chief Inspector of General Practice Care Quality Commision Citygate Gallowgate NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE NE1 4PA 6th January 2016 Dear Professor Field, You may recall I sent a letter over to you at the beginning of December last year in which I raised my concerns regarding the proposed increase of CQC fees. …

It wasn’t 5 minutes ago that I was writing just before Christmas – that’s been ‘n’ gone in the blink of an eye and here we are now on the verge of a brand new year.  There was a lot on the news this morning about New Year’s Resolutions… the only resolution I ever made…

Access to appointments tends to go hand-in-hand with patient satisfaction. At a time when patient demand is higher than ever before and many practices are struggling to fill GP vacancies, is there such a thing as the perfect balance of same day and future appointment booking? The answer is, of course, no as too many…

Sacking someone is never a pleasant thing to have to do and can result in distress on both sides. Thankfully, I haven’t had many occasions to sack someone but I can think of two managers who were sacked – for theft – and one attempted dismissal of a manager for poor performance. What is the…

Continuing our look at CQC inspections and what makes a practice outstanding, the spotlight this time falls on Compass House Medical Centres in Brixham, Devon, who recently received an outstanding rating. The practice operates from two sites – one in Brixham and one in Galmpton – and it was the Brixham location that inspectors visited.…

The idea of old-fashioned common sense and getting on with the job has gone and in place of this we have robotic, over-legalised pen-pushery! The role of a doctor’s surgery practice manager seems to have become over complicated and subject to random testing – just like being back at school! My sympathy lies entirely with…