Apprenticeship scheme for practice managers established

An apprenticeship scheme for practice managers has been set up in Lincolnshire in a bid to stave off a recruitment crisis and stem an ‘exodus of managers’.

The programme, believed to be one of the first in the country, has seen 12 practice managers undertake a 21-month-long training course to achieve a level 5 operations manager apprenticeship qualification awarded by the Institute of Leadership and Management.

It was an initiative begun by Lincolnshire LMC after research conducted in 2023 confirmed suspicions that a large number of practice managers were feeling unsupported and unhappy – and planning to leave their job in the medium term.

Rosa Wyldeman, operations office at Lincolnshire LMC, told Management in Practice: ‘We found that the pressures in work were becoming too much. Results showed that 68% of practice managers said they weren’t planning to stay in the post for longer than five years. When we asked what would make them stay longer, 15% said nothing would. Another 42% said they would stay if there was less pressure and stress and 27% said that they wanted recognition for what they were doing and that they felt undervalued.

‘But in addition to that, almost half of practices said they didn’t have a succession plan in place for management roles. And we found practice managers had fewer development opportunities compared with clinical roles, for example.

‘So we knew we needed to take action to support the practice managers already in post and look at retention and support to prevent an exodus, but also start thinking about a pipeline of aspiring new managers and talent. Feedback indicated that people would come into the role from outside of the NHS, feel very overwhelmed, then leave quite quickly.’

To address this, the LMC agreed that training needed to be put in place and asked practices to put forward candidates who would benefit from additional support. Twelve were chosen, a mix of practice managers who were new to the job and individuals looking to step up into the role.

A programme was put together by apprenticeship provider Damar Training, which adapted the operations manager level 5 standard. It was mapped against the Institute of General Practice Management’s (IGPM) own accreditation process too, so any gaps in learning could be identified and plugged with additional training provided by the LMC.

Katrina Shawcross, divisional manager at Damar, said: ‘There is naturally a big overlap between the responsibilities and capabilities of a practice manager role and those that are covered in the operations manager programme.

‘We wanted to offer the apprenticeship in combination with the LMC’s own training content to form a very attractive offer of support for existing managers and that could also be used for practices’ succession planning. For example, it could help with a future manager’s progression, supporting them to take on more responsibility.’

Ms Wyldeman further explained that participants of the programme were keen that it also had an NHS focus without losing the transferable skills element. Another advantage has been that, since it is so closely linked to the IGPM accreditation model, participants can use the evidence gathered during their apprenticeship to support an IGPM application at the end.

The apprenticeship scheme for practice managers, which started in July 2024, has been wholly funded by apprenticeship levy transfers. This is where large employers can choose to share their unused apprenticeship levy funds (a tax they pay to cover the cost of apprenticeship training) to support training in another organisation or sector.

‘University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust had some leftover money they gave us,’ said Ms Wyldeman, ‘and we went to other local employers too’.

Anecdotal feedback received about the practice manager scheme so far has been hugely positive. So much so that a second cohort of 11 individuals started another apprenticeship programme this April.

‘It’s unique,’ says Ms Wyldeman. ‘Participants have said it has really built their confidence and that they feel they are achieving new things at their practice.

‘We have also had great support from practice managers who were keen to develop talented members of their team.

‘We will be carrying out an evaluation once the training finishes, but we know it is making a difference. We are very proud of it.’

‘And we’ve had other LMCs and other organisations approach us asking us about the programme and how we have put it in place, so we know it has created interest.’

Meanwhile, Lincolnshire LMC complements this bigger training programme with other initiatives open to all practice managers, such as mentorship or bite-sized training sessions focused on various topics, including leadership.

‘We also support experienced practice managers via a 10-week programme to achieve IGPM accreditation’, says Ms Wyldeman. ‘It’s all important work. Practice managers are vital to the functioning of general practices.’