In this month’s Practice Index sponsored panel episode, Robyn and Ben are joined by Practice Index HR guru Susi O’Brien to reflect upon a rollercoaster last three years in general practice and the resulting impact on staffing levels. Post-Covid demand and ongoing strike action across the healthcare sector (amongst other factors) are leading to a steep increase in rates of employee dissatisfaction and a culture of ‘quiet quitting’. What exactly is ‘quiet quitting’ though? What can lead to people quitting quietly? And most importantly, how can we better address the causes of demotivation, stress and burnout within the workforce, to improve staff satisfaction and retention in our own networks?
Introduction (0.43)
Common findings from the clinics Robyn and Susi hold (1.19)
What is quiet quitting? (1.48)
Quiet quitting in the workplace (3.44)
Is quiet quitting linked to pay and inflation? (5.0)
Has the pressure of the past three years caused staff to burn out? (7.02)
Addressing quiet quitting (8.11)
Impact of remote working (10.28)
Managers supporting each other (12.28)
Impact of strikes - Robyn (14.56)
Impact of strikes - Susi (16.35)
How to be proactive regarding quiet quitting (18.04)
For all enquiries about the Practice Index / Ockham podcast, please contact James Dillon here or Ben Gowland here
This week, we are proud to introduce none other than Sir David Haslam, former Chair & President of the Royal College of GPs, former President of the British Medical Association, and former NICE Chair, amongst his countless other guises. Within this ‘must-listen’ episode, David talks to Ben about some of the key areas of focus within his fascinating new book; ‘Side Effects….’ and to offer his views on more the more problematic areas of general practice, as well as where we can and should be more progressive, from his perspective as a former GP, and as things stand currently.
Introduction (9 secs)
Meeting David (1 min 8 secs)
What prompted David to write his book? (1 min 31 secs)
Identifying what we are trying to achieve (3 mins 2 secs)
Choosing what and where to prioritise (4 mins 49 secs)
Applying rationality to what we can (and can’t) provide support for at system level (6 mins 55 secs)
Managing public expectation (8 mins 26 secs)
The impact focusing on individuals has on maintaining effective delivery (10 mins 53 secs)
Investment in preventative care and what that looks like (11 mins 59 secs)
‘Sexing up’ general practice? (13 mins 55 secs)
The risks to continuity of care (16 mins 6 secs)
ICS implications where the loss of financial ownership is concerned (17 mins 41 secs)
The role of communities in the creation of a more sustainable future (18 mins 53 secs)
How we deliver services within a community-based model (20 mins 12 secs)
David’s take on the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (21 mins 34 secs)
Where does David see effective and positive changes happening going forwards? (23 mins 13 secs)
Getting your hands on a copy of the book…. (24 mins 30 secs)
‘Side Effects: How Our Healthcare Lost its Way and How We Fix it’ by David Haslam is available in all the usual places but here’s a link to the outlet David mentioned within the episode.
You can learn more about David and his work via his dedicated website here.
Most of us are aware of the impact of having pharmacy expertise within our practice and network teams but in many areas, the continuing issue of sourcing (and retaining) pharmacists is proving to be a very challenge. In this week’s episode, we meet Holly Laurence and Ruhina Kassam from Clinical Pharmacist Solutions (CPS), an award-winning training, recruitment and clinical services provider that specialise in providing much-needed, skilled pharmacy resources to practices and primary care networks. Holly and Ruhina talk to Ben about the problem of sourcing staff, why it can be so difficult to hold on to good pharmacists, what we can be doing to incentivise potential new pharmacy staff (and hold onto them), and what CPS can offer by way of support.
Introduction (9 secs)
Meeting Holly, Head of Primary Care Support (26 secs)
…and Service Manager Ruhina (1 min 10 secs)
Is recruitment of Clinical Pharmacists a widespread problem, generally? And if so, why? (1 min 29 secs)
Working out what you want from your pharmacist (3 mins 29 secs)
Setting up dedicated support networks (4 mins 51 secs)
Expectations of salary (5 mins 30 secs)
Handling pay scales (6 mins 41 secs)
Meeting pharmacist expectations (7 mins 20 secs)
Maintaining retention (8 mins 2 secs)
Working within a multi practice network? (8 mins 39 secs)
Holly’s role and how she can ease the burden of recruitment on primary care staff (9 mins 36 secs)
Access and availability of pharmacists (11 mins 11 secs)
The CPS training programme (12 mins 8 secs)
Objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) assessment (14 mins 38 secs)
What else do CPS offer by way of support to practices (15 mins 10 secs)
Slotting in alongside the national pharmacy training programme (16 mins 9 secs)
Pricing schedules (16 mins 45 secs)
Getting in touch (17 mins 41 secs)
If you’d like further information please check out the CPS website or their LinkedIn page here.
Rightly or wrongly, we often find ourselves neglecting basic policy and procedural elements of the job, when patient demand, clinical priorities and a never-ending stream of new directives are cascaded down from on high. So, with this in mind, we invited regulatory solicitor and lecturer David Sinclair to feature on today’s podcast, to bring governance and cyber security more sharply into focus. With the threat of cyber-attacks on the rise, coupled with a quickly evolving policy landscape when it comes to GDPR, data protection and information security, we discuss what practices should be doing now to ready themselves, who should take responsibility for this critical area of work, and what to expect going forwards.
Introduction (9 secs)
Meeting David (1 min 5 secs)
Current prevalence of cyber attacks on GP practices (1 min 22 secs)
What do practices need to be doing right now to protect themselves against the risk of cyber security breaches? (2 mins 26 secs)
Management of governance and data protection protocols (3 mins 1 sec)
The importance of employing the services of those with the required, specialist knowledge (4 mins 21 secs)
Establishment of a named Data Protection Officer (DPO) (5 mins 24 secs)
Who is accountable if / when something goes wrong? (7 mins)
Proactive proof of compliance (8 mins 15 secs)
How do we best demonstrate GDPR compliance? (9 mins 35 secs)
Commonly made mistakes and issues (11 mins 26 secs)
Responding to data subject access requests (13 mins 29 secs)
Who should we consult when seeking advice specifically related to data subject access requests? (14 mins 45 secs)
Strategies for managing subject access requests (15 mins 21 secs)
Other commonly faced issues and things to be aware of going forwards (16 mins 59 secs)
What the future might look like when it comes to governance and security (18 mins 12 secs)
Summarising today’s discussions (19 mins 6 secs)
A final word from David (19 mins 56 secs)
Getting in touch (20 mins 41 secs)
If you’d like further information, and / or to connect with David directly, please check out the DR Solicitors website.