Pressure on general practice has created a significant increase in practice managers thinking of leaving their jobs. Whether the ever-increasing workload, rising stress levels and suffocating bureaucracy being suffered by practice managers leads to a mass exodus or a steady outflow, nobody knows. What we do know however is that, while the GP shortage grabs…

Facebook is a great way of getting instant messages out to patients. Planning a flu jab clinic? Post the date on Facebook together with info on how to book an appointment. Closing early for staff training next week? Use Facebook to let your patients know. Whether you’re telling patients about what’s going on in the…

A round up of the latest HR and Employment Law updates and related stories. DOES A CHANGE IN WORKING HOURS MEAN A RECALCULATION OF HOLIDAY ENTITLEMENT FOR THE WHOLE YEAR? A recent case heard by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) means that holiday entitlement needs to be very carefully calculated for workers who either…

Here are a few tips to help your smooth departure from the practice: Handover to staff and partners well in advance of your leaving date Communicate changes with staff and reassure them Provide interim management arrangements, if applicable Pass on passwords and security information to the right people Ensure someone responsible has access to the…

Last month the Department of Health confirmed the implementation of revalidation for nurses and midwives from April 2016. This confirmation approved the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s new system for all nurses and midwives – including those in GP practices – to ensure that they regularly demonstrate they are able to deliver care in a safe, effective and…

A round up of the latest HR and Employment Law updates and related stories.   WHISTLEBLOWING – WHAT AMOUNTS TO A PROTECTED DISCLOSURE The case of Underwood v Wincanton Plc UKEAT/0163/15/RN means that theoretically a dispute between group of employees and their employer could be relevant to “whistle blowing” and amount to a protected disclosure under…

Last week’s NHS England’s Health and Care Expo was awash with big, bold statements made by the ‘big names’ of the healthcare sector about the future uptake of technology in general practice. From electronic patient records through to online triage, internet appointment systems and SMS utilisation, if everything that was said is to be believed…