Personal Practice

Each week, our own experienced practice manager gives us her secret account of what's been happening in her surgery. Plus, here you'll also find the latest practice manager profile features and columns from the magazine ...

Josiane Wadey: Managing expectations
Tuesday 13th March 2012
How can PMs engage with the public to ensure the NHS has a future, asks Josiane Wadey

Geraldine Taggart-Jeewa: The value of apprenticeships
Tuesday 7th February 2012
Employing an apprentice highlighted a key gap in nurse training, says Geraldine Taggart-Jeewa

Val Hempsey: Heads in the QOF?
Tuesday 31st January 2012
Incentive schemes have left practice managers unable to focus on the present, says Val Hempsey

Anne Crandles: Deep and crisp – and planned for!
Monday 5th December 2011
Practice managers should show true grit and prepare for adverse weather this winter, says Anne Crandles

: The access dilemma
Monday 14th November 2011
Creating more appointments incurs large costs at the wrong time, says a PMN member

Our manager in practice: When were you last appraised?
Monday 24th October 2011
Practice management should be subject to robust reviews, says our undercover blogger

Our GP partner in practice: New blood puts positivity in practice
Monday 8th August 2011
Our GP partner blogger strikes a rare note of optimism as enthused new GPs join his surgery...

Simon Carvell: Fears about reforms
Friday 28th January 2011
Simon Carvell says farewell to a colleague and a sceptical hello to the reforms

Kerry Holmes: MiP Manchester: tough challenges, collective solutions
Monday 14th June 2010
June's popular MiP Event in Manchester provided sober considerations of challenges for general practice ...

Stuart Gidden: Election fever has led to manifesto mania – someone call a doctor
Wednesday 14th April 2010
The political parties have unleashed their election manifestos. What do they plan for primary care, asks Stuart Gidden?

Cathryn Bateman: Can we help put an end to patient dependency?
Monday 8th February 2010
Cathryn Bateman visited the national NHS self-care conference late last year, and asks: is it time we learnt to say no?

Mary Mippins: Two things a practice manager doesn't want to hear ...
Monday 2nd November 2009
Our straight-talking practice manager "Mary Mippins" (names changed to protect the innocent) is back ...

Steve Williams: A call to arms as the reforms roll on
Monday 29th June 2009
GP policy is dictated to managers without consultation, says Steve Williams, who says it's time for this to stop

Liz Saunders: Taking time to plan ahead can act as QOF medicine
Monday 27th April 2009
Liz Saunders, a practice manager in Wales, has recovered from "QOF Fever" and is now preparing for the year ahead

Shivani Pala: Birmingham bodes well – previewing the next MiP Event
Wednesday 17th September 2008
An awards ceremony, high-achieving speakers and CPD opportunities – we preview MiP Birmingham on 8 October

Gloria Middleton: Is there an artificial intelligence behind primary care politics?
Monday 14th July 2008
Practice manager Gloria Middleton has been left dazed and confused by political spin and strange buzz words ...

Kate Harlow: View from the frontline: an infuriated manager erupts
Wednesday 26th March 2008
Practice manager Kate Harlow says why she feels confused and demotivated by the government's primary care policies ...

Wendy Garcarz: A new association to watch with interest
Tuesday 18th March 2008
Primary care trainer Wendy Garcarz on how a meeting she set up could lead to bigger things for all practice managers ...

Edward Picot: Baffled by a babysitting bombshell
Tuesday 11th December 2007
Everything was going swimmingly in Edward's practice – until the retainer GP had other commitments ...

The latest Practice Profile: Management in the Midlands … our editor reflects on the day job
Tuesday 11th December 2007
Our own consultant editor, practice manager Cathryn Bateman, shares her experiences of working in a large, 10-partner practice in the West Midlands. Cathryn explains how working with varied personalities presents challenges but ultimately rewards – including good-natured banter and derogatory costumes …

To see more contributions from these authors just click on the "about the author" link that appears on the right-hand side with each item.