Here are the slide presentations from the Manchester 2009 Management in Practice Event in PDF format for you to download and view at your leisure. (Adobe reader required – click here to download it for free.)
The NHS – in the beginning and the future
Wendy Evans
Practice Management Lead, NHS Alliance
Wendy’s keynote speech gave a brief history of the NHS leading up to today, with a projection of what could happen. Vital questions were asked: how will these changes affect practice managers and how will healthcare be delivered?
Resolving disputes at work – back to the future?
Peter Monaghan
Acting Area Director, Acas (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service)
Peter provided an update on the repeal of the statutory procedures, the new Acas Code and guidance, and the benefits of internal dispute resolution and mediation.
No patient participation group is an island
Royce Franklin
Vice Chair, National Association for Patient Participation
Royce described the valuable role patient participation groups (PPGs) play in bringing practices closer to their communities and reflected on how groups can be started. He also described practice managers’ pivotal role in working with PPGs.
Financial dos and don’ts this year
Rosemary Smith
Senior Manager, Whittingham Riddell, Chartered Accountants
Rosemary looked at the preparatory steps a practice can take in order to maximise its profits. She also considered: how to ensure that the additional work, or existing work, is cost effective; what income is at threat and how to attract new income; making sure income you earn is received; keeping costs to a minimum; safely calculating drawings; and how much income should be left as working capital.
The future of practice-based commissioning: the role of practice managers
Dr Nick Goodwin
Senor Fellow, Policy Directorate, The King’s Fund
This session provided lessons on how to reinvigorate practice-based commissioning (PBC) and examined the future potential of integrated care organisations. Nick argues that none of this can be achieved without a stronger emphasis on practice-based management.
Medicolegal aspects of practice management
Dr Caroline Fryar
Medicolegal Adviser, Medical Defence Union
A new NHS and social care complaints procedure was introduced in England on 1 April 2009 –the main focus of this presentation was to consider the practical changes this presents. Additionally, the MDU receives a number of calls from practice managers to the telephone advice line concerning disclosure of clinical records. Caroline examined the legal and ethical challenges arising out of such requests, illustrated by short fictional case examples.
The impact and future of the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF)
Dr Stephen Campbell
Senior Research Fellow, National Primary Care Research and Development Centre, University of Manchester
Stephen described the content and structure of the QOF and presented a range of evidence describing its impact on the quality of care. He also discussed the future of the QOF, describing the process, led by NICE, the National Primary Care Research and Development Centre, York Health Economics Consortium and others, to develop clinical and health improvement indicators for the QOF.
NHS Choices
Nigel Fray
Stakeholder Relations Manager, NHS Choices
Nigel aimed to raise awareness and usage of NHS Choices (www.nhs.uk), and encouraged practices to refer their patients, as appropriate, to the website as a source of comprehensive and reliable health information. He illustrated the key features of the site and what it has to offer GPs and their patients. Similarly, his talk demonstrated how practices can use NHS Choices to promote their range of treatments and facilities.
Improving access for disabled patients
Lorraine Hughes
Practice Manager, Hunter Family Practice, Craigavon
Lorraine described steps taken so far in her practice to improve access for deaf/hard-of-hearing patients, blind/partially sighted patients, and those with learning disabilities. Lorraine aims to inspire others to look at ways that they might improve patient experience for one or more minority patient groups in their practice.
Merging practices – nightmare or dream?
Hilary Haman
Personnel Management Adviser in primary Care
The merging of practices can be one of the most challenging events in a practice manager’s professional life. Hilary explained that planning and insight are key to a successful integration of practices, and involve an understanding of organisational culture and the difference between culture and climate, as well as the ability to transform two or more separate organisations into one entity.
