The development of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) is spurring on general practices to “become team players”, a survey suggests.
In the face of health reform plans, the PCC Practice Management Survey 2011 revealed general practice staff are keen to develop better working relationships with hospital doctors and other clinicians.
The creation of CCGs emerged as a strategic priority for practices, with 86% rating it either important or very important.
Other key priorities identified by the survey are maximising income, raising clinical standards and working more closely with patients.
“This survey shows that practice management has completely got the idea that they have to become team players, whether that’s working together as providers or in commissioning groups,” said Helen Northall, chief executive of PCC.
“It also suggests that practice managers are ready to take a leading role in CCGs, but questions remains about whether practices are prepared to invest enough in training and development.”
While most practice managers surveyed are in favour of federating services, they stopped short of backing a merger between back-office functions and other formal organisational arrangements.
Workload, the proposed removal of practice boundaries and the impact of the reforms are the main challenges facing practice managers, closely followed by lack of resources and access to timely information.
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