Although most GPs and managers now recognise that practices are businesses, some have been slow to realise the full implications.
Whilst managing budgets, providing a service to patients and dealing with change within the NHS are all part of general practice, competition is a new concept. Even if there has been little interaction between neighbouring practices, it is unlikely they viewed each other as serious competition. Practice Based Commissioning (PBC) is changing this. Read more.
The medical record is the principal legal document recording the intended and actual care of a patient, together with the outcome.
Keeping good records is an essential factor in maintaining good clinical standards. Read more.
Before launching a demand management initiative, practices need to assess their starting position. It is difficult to plan for improvement if there is little knowledge of current demand or the capacity to meet it.
It is helpful to involve all the practice team in assessing the situation and developing a plan. As well as strengthening relationships among existing staff, the team gains ownership of new developments. Read more.
The new GMS contract recognises that if the primary care sector is to be expanded and practices are to be allowed to manage their workload and earnings to suit their aspirations, a clear strategy to use clinicians’ time effectively whilst improving availability of services for patients is essential. This strategy will identify those situations in which patients could be enabled to manage their own conditions, use services effectively, or where the services could be offered by other health professionals, especially where these services could be accessed more easily and more cost effectively than through traditional general practice. Read more.
