The answer to all your prayers is finally here… well, it is if you’re signed up to Practice Index PLUS which, when compared to the quantity of gin you usually buy to get through the working week, will seem like a pittance and it will improve your LFTs no end!

The third edition of the Practice Manager’s Handbook is available to download, having nearly doubled in size, with 435 packed pages and over 750 links throughout, leading you to appropriate policies, resources and helpful websites. This is undoubtedly THE reference document for Practice Managers, telling you everything and anything about the workings of general practice management.

The Practice Manager’s Handbook has been updated collaboratively by experienced practice managers and subject matter experts to provide a complete review and overview of the tasks, processes and procedures required to meet the extensive regulatory and legislative requirements within primary care. The aim is to provide anyone involved in managing a practice or primary care organisation (new or existing) with a briefing document that covers the many aspects of the role.

Clearly, each medical organisation has its own way of operating and it may well be organised and managed differently; it may have different attitudes and policies, different ways of keeping accounts and running computer systems. It may also participate in local commissioning. It may be a training organisation. It might own premises or share premises, and may be part of a federation or collaborative. However, regardless of these nuances, the handbook provides extensive guidance on all of the above to help you function effectively as a PM, especially during the current times of change and upheaval.

Topic sections

The Practice Manager’s Handbook offers information on clinical processes and contractual requirements, financial matters, including income generation and reporting, how the organisation’s accounts and payroll are kept, and it provides guidance on how to prepare the annual accounts for submission to the accountants.

There are sections on the administration of the NHS Pension Scheme using the agency website, along with the submission of Inland Revenue payments and Value Added Tax returns for organisations that may be VAT registered.

Other sections look at human resources and offer some background to information technology. Furthermore, the handbook sets out details of the General Medical Services contract with the local health organisation and discusses how it’s managed and reviewed, although PMS (Primary Medical Services) contracts and APMS (Alternative Provider Medical Services) are also included. In these cases, the contract will provide particular standards and services that must be carried out and are usually specific to the type of provider or local health issues. It also explores the ever-changing quality requirements, as well as providing sections on property and estate management, and purchasing for the organisation.

There are extensive sections on dispensing, health and safety, information technology, and information governance. There’s information provided about partnership matters and the work of Primary Care Support England (PCSE) (for patient registration and GP contracts) and the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA).

The ‘Practice business administration’ section offers guidance on those daily, weekly, monthly and annual tasks that organisations are required to undertake, with a handy appendix providing a quick reference guide to what must be done and when. The ‘Strategy’ section gives a valuable overview of business planning, risk management, mergers and the inevitable new ways of working via Primary Care Networks (PCNs) and Integrated Care Systems (ICSs).

This really is a unique document that combines comprehensive guidance with a focus on new directions in practice management. With its clear, accessible layout and no-nonsense style aimed at busy practice managers, this is a must-read for practices of all sizes.

Whilst I can imagine that you’re incredibly excited right now, there’s even better news as there will, as with all PLUS documents, be a commitment to regular updates going forward, to ensure that the Practice Manager’s Handbook captures all the changes in our ever-expanding primary care world.

Click that download button! You won’t be disappointed… and your bedtime reading will also be sorted for the foreseeable future…

To download the Practice Manager’s Handbook 2021 click here.
(Please note, you’ll need to be logged into the forum and be a Practice Index PLUS member)