Cathryn Bateman
Consultant Editor
E [email protected]
OK, so I didn’t win the prize of a Radley handbag (I’m more of a shoe person myself – a pair of Jimmy Choos and I’d really have applied myself), but apart from that it really was a fantastic event, the best yet in my humble opinion.
You have probably deduced that I am talking about the third Management in Practice Event, held at the Business Design Centre in Islington, North London, in early September. In spite of the tube strike that kept us on tenterhooks for a while, there was a fabulous turn out from an interactive and proactive audience.
So on behalf of everyone at Management in Practice, can I thank you for coming, and for your participation and enthusiasm. It was great to hear your feedback that the event was so well received.
Getting ourselves connected
We have a report of the event, picking out some of the highlights, on page 60. My own personal high points were Dr Gillian Braunold’s presentation on Connecting for Health (CfH) – an update on progress – and the enthusiasm with which this
was met.
Some of you may have read my comments following the Manchester event in May, questioning the interest in CfH, as a similar presentation wasn’t particularly well attended. Of course, I don’t know why this was, but this certainly was not the case in London, where Dr Braunold received a very positive reception.
Interest and scepticism over PbC
My second highlight – again in comparison to the apparent uptake in Manchester – was the interest in practice-based commissioning (PbC). Many of the attendees seemed concerned about their expanding workloads, and were reluctant to invest too much time and effort into an area of work that some believe may well dissipate sometime in the future.
Joseph Chandy, an excellent speaker, did his best to encourage participation from the profession with his hands-on experience.
Plug in and feed back
If you missed the event, you will be able to find “streamed” presentations online, at www.ManagementInPractice.com/webcasts. If you attended and would like to offer feedback about the event, you can also do that via the online link, or by emailing us at mip-feedback
@campden.com
In addition, you can also contribute to our online survey and help us gain insight into the real requirements of practice managers to allow us to focus the magazine, website and future events around your needs.
In this issue …
In the meantime, though, this issue offers a variety of topical articles, with a look at subjects relating to employment, ethical and financial matters, through to practice management development, with discussion from Jill Allen on the Working in Partnership Programme’s (WiPP) Practice Management Development Programme.
Along with others, the WiPP has recognised the need for a progressive primary care management development programme, following the publication of the practice manager’s competency framework subsequent to the new General Medical Services (GMS) contract back in 2004.
Many of us have benefited from the work carried out by the WiPP, particularly with reference to the development and progression of healthcare assistants. I am sure Jill’s article will provide an interesting read.
So, enjoy this issue of Management in Practice …
