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The introduction of new roles is not new to general practice, particularly right now, but with the relatively short timeframe that practices have had to adjust to the changes and the challenges following the introduction of the PCNs, it is not surprising that those working in the PCN Manager roles can find it difficult to integrate and engage with local staff. For Practice Managers who have long been used to the autonomy of leading their individual areas and juggling competing demands, the arrival of another manager and entrusting that they can prioritise their practice’s needs can be of concern. In our latest Practice Index / Ockham podcast series, we explore this theme with our resident Practice Management leads, Nicola Davies, and Robyn Clark, and with two experienced PCN Managers, Julie Damon and Tara Humphrey who share their experiences to date. The panel are all in agreement that the Practice Manager / PCN Manager relationship can and should work in harmony, but how can this happen and what can those who are struggling on both sides right now do to improve confidence and maximise the ability to deliver?

Introductions (0:39)

Julie says hello (1:02)

Reintroducing Tara (1:31)

Robyn’s relationship with her PCN Manager (2:09)

Nicola’s network (2:43)

Julie’s experiences of working alongside the Practice Managers in her area (2:23)

Building trust with existing practice staff (4:08)

Why keeping in touch is so important (5:13)

The challenges Tara has faced in the past (5:44)

What made things tough? (6:46)

Finding a way through (7:43)

What does the role of the PCN Manager mean for Practice Managers? (8:43)

Nicola’s view (9:34)

Confidence and communication (10:42)

Learning to let go (11:44)

PCN v Practice (12:49)

The challenges of meeting workload demand (15:04)

Advice from Robyn and Nicola for PCN Managers who may be struggling to engage with practice staff (16:55)

Julie and Tara share their wisdom (19:18)

Recommended resources (21:06)

Support from the Institute of General Practice Management (22:18)

Practice Index’s website can be found here

For more information and to sign up to become a member of the IGPM, please find the website here

THC Primary Care’s website can be found here

For all enquiries, please contact James Dillon here or Ben Gowland here