No-one could have ever anticipated the impact that the Coronavirus Pandemic would have on our lives when we first started to hear about it on the news. I wanted to share with you some of the things we have done to help us “Cope with Covid”.
Read MoreIntroduction to Human Resources
Recruitment As a Practice Manager HR is probably one of the biggest areas of my job. When someone resigns, I like to take the opportunity to review what the practice “need” is and never simply replace like for like. Practice needs change over time, so it is a perfect opportunity to do things differently, just make sure you review the job description and person specification and update accordingly. I have…
Read MoreHow I made my practice more efficient
When I joined the Oakwood Team almost two years ago, I had no idea of how a general practice ran. I brought with me a wealth of leadership, coaching, training and performance management experience. Unfortunately, I had zero knowledge or experience of the NHS and so I had a lot to learn. After a short orientation period, I set out my stall to learn the practice inside out. I did…
Read MorePractice Manager Resilience
Practice Managers have an incredibly difficult, multi-faceted role where you can be expected to turn from counsellor to body guard at the drop of the hat. Most of us have a tool belt and box of tissues to hand at all times and an inner sense that leads you to reception to deal with Mr. Irate just before he starts his meltdown! Resilience gives us the capacity to turn adversity…
Read MorePrimary Care and market forces
The National Health Service is funded through three means; general taxation, national insurance contributions, and private fees for a small number of services, including prescriptions and dentistry. The level of funding to the NHS is set annually by the central government. General taxation accounts for around 80% of that budget (1). In 2018/19 the budget for the NHS was £114b (2). Primary care receives around 7.1% of the total NHS…
Read MoreNHS Funding and Universal Healthcare
The National Health Service is funded through three means; general taxation, national insurance contributions, and private fees for a small number of services, including prescriptions and dentistry. The level of funding to the NHS is set annually by the central government through the Spending Review process. Where income has dropped in the form of national insurance contributions and private fees, general taxation is used to ensure the NHS receives its…
Read MoreThe NHS – A Brief Health System Analysis
Finance The majority of healthcare in the United Kingdom (UK) is delivered by the National Health Service (NHS). The NHS is a model of universal healthcare based upon the premise of care being free at the point of access. It is a pooled risk insurance model where funding is collected through taxation. Taxation is allocated to respective Departments of Health for England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, who work to…
Read MoreGovernance and Leadership in the NHS
Primary medical services in England Primary medical services in England are mostly delivered by self-employed contractors to the NHS. These contractors provide services under three different types of contracts: the General Medical Services Contract (GMS), the Personal Medical Services Contract (PMS), or the Alternative Provider of Medical Services (APMS) Contract. GMS and PMS contracts are granted in perpetuity to contractors who must be General Practitioners or in the case of…
Read MoreGPC – warts and all update – 2016
Dear Colleagues, I have now represented Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield on the General Practitioners Committee of the British Medical Association for two years. You have not heard from me regularly during this time because I know that you are busy people and I have tried to work quietly in the background rather than burden you with yet more emails or letters. However, many of you will want to know…
Read MoreGPC – warts and all update – 2017
Dear Colleagues, I am now starting my second term representing South Yorkshire on the General Practitioners Committee of the British Medical Association. In my previous updates I hoped to give you insight into the form and function of the Committee that represents all General Practitioners in the United Kingdom. I have made myself available to you all through telephone, email and twitter. A number of you have taken me up…
Read MoreGPC – warts and all update – 2018
Dear colleagues. I have found the last year as your regional representative to the General Practitioners Committee (GPC) of the British Medical Association (BMA) somewhat challenging. The challenge has been getting your voices heard at a national level. The Meldrum Review A few years back, Dr Chaand Nagpaul (current Chair of the BMA and former Chair of the GPC) invited Dr Hamish Meldrum (former GPC and BMA Chair) to review…
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