The thought of having to tackle potential bullying or inappropriate behaviour is enough to get the pulse racing of any Practice Manager. However, these things do crop up – and even more so these days when everyone is feeling the pressure and stress. But what constitutes bullying? And what is the definition of workplace harassment? And where does victimisation fit in? In our latest HR clinic, Robyn Clark (aka JacksonR) and Susi O’Brien (HR Help advisor) focused on this tricky subject. Here is a summary of the questions we received, and the answers given. Let’s start off with a definition, shal ..read more

On 3rd April, my practice wrote a letter to all our patients to tell them about the pressures general practice is under and what this means for them in terms of their care. I was pretty nervous about sending it out, as we know how things can be portrayed and how some people seem to have a vendetta against GP surgeries no matter what we do. The letter, which came from the IGPM template, was picked up by the local media. It turns out a patient is related to a BBC reporter who got wind of it and sent someone down to the health centre to investigate the story. Poor muggins here was asked to comme ..read more

Right care, first time Practice managers are launching a major campaign to tackle public frustration at the delays in gaining GP appointments. The “Right Care First Time” campaign, launched by the Institute of General Practice Management (IGPM), aims to encourage patients to recognise that they may get the right care by going directly to other members of practice staff, such as pharmacists and physiotherapists. It follows the national drive to diversify primary care teams, introducing a range of professions to support GPs. The IGPM has stated: “You don’t always need to see a GP.” Boost for MM ..read more

The brand new campaign video from the IGPM helps explain why you don’t always need to see the GP. General practice is facing unprecedented pressure. Demand is exceeding capacity, patients are facing longer delays and abuse in practice is rising as a result. This new campaign is designed to try to reduce the burden on GPs by explaining why you don’t always need to see the doctor. GP surgeries frequently now have teams of exceptionally skilled, qualified healthcare professionals who have the experience and competency to treat many of the patients who traditionally believe they need to see the G ..read more

Hi from a very tired PM Polly! Sorry it’s been a long time since I put pen to paper – or should that be fingers to keyboard? I felt compelled to do so when I read something that made me laugh out loud yesterday; I just had to share it with you! One of the forums I read regularly had a post on it that said something along the lines of: ‘I’m thinking of a change of career. There’s an advertisement near where I live for a practice manager. I’m thinking of trying for it; I think it could be fun.’ Fun?! Now before you start commenting, we all know there are some aspects of practice management that ..read more

My previous Practice Index blog explored upcoming changes to flexible working legislation coming into effect on 6th April 2024. But there are other employment law changes coming soon which practices in England, Scotland and Wales should be aware of. Here’s a quick rundown of them. Introduction of statutory carer’s leave To start with, I should say that this right to unpaid time off is separate to existing entitlements and rights, such as parental leave, shared parental leave or emergency time off for dependants. This new right to carer’s leave is for employees who have one or more dependants ..read more

It was a busy month with incoming changes in employment law, the National Living Wage on the horizon, and a controversial contract proposition. Catch up here... Best of our blogs I predict a riot… who’s with me? - By Paula the PM - The long-awaited GP Contract letter 2024/25 has been published. I’d like to say that I was shocked, except I’m not. What wonderful suggestions do they have for us this year? Read now Flexible working changes are in the air - are you ready? - Psst! You may not be aware of it, but this coming year, the UK Government is tinkering aplenty with various employm ..read more

Appointment numbers increase, but patients still struggle to get timely care As many as one in five people say they’ve been told to call back another day when they’ve phoned their practice. In the Office for National Statistics survey, 10% of patients reported being told to wait at least two weeks for an appointment. Nearly 90,000 people took part in the survey. Previously, the Liberal Democrats reported a big increase in the number of patients facing month-long waits to see a GP. NHS England said that practices delivered more than 30 million appointments in February, representing 23% more th ..read more

A summary of the HR and H&S updates issued in March 2024. HR Updates Amber alerts Professor’s anti-Zionist views qualify as a protected “philosophical belief” Female solicitor awarded nearly £160,000 for sex discrimination and unfair dismissal The post HR and H&S Updates – March 2024 appeared first on GP Practice Management Blog ..read more

Satisfaction with general practice at an all-time low Public satisfaction with general practice services has fallen to an all-time low; in fact, it has halved in the last five years, according to a British Social Attitudes survey. Just 34% of people are now satisfied with general practice compared with 64% in 2019. Making practice appointments easier to obtain was the public’s top priority for the NHS. Dr Victoria Tzortziou-Brown, Vice Chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: “We know how much our patients value the care and services GPs and our teams offer, and we share their frustration whe ..read more