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27
sep
0

Podcast – Tara Dawson – Life as a PCN Manager

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It’s an exciting week because we are so pleased to introduce our first PCN Manager to feature on the Ockham podcast! Tara Dawson, PCN Manager for the Lytham St Annes network, takes us through her journey to becoming PCN Manager, her experiences, her achievements, the key relationships she has formed. She has also filled us in on what she hopes to achieve going forwards and more broadly, why having a manager is instrumental in establishing the setup of the network, driving the key commitments and priorities – and managing  the wellbeing of the relationships between practice and PCN.

 

Introduction (0:30)

All about Tara and how she became a PCN Manager (0:47)

Has Tara’s prior experience helped? (2:07)

Organisational setup (2:58)

Incorporated status and NHS pensions implications (3:54)

Managing the incorporation process (4:56)

What does a typical working week look like for Tara? (6:21)

Recruitment and staffing (7:28)

The relationship between PCN Manager and Clinical Director (8:38)

Has having a PCN Manager in post allowed the Clinical Directors to drive the clinical priorities? (9:43)

The PCN demographic and practice engagement (10:57)

PCN Managers and Practice Managers (13:05)

The best things about being a PCN Manager (14:55)

Support network (15:53)

The forward view (17:05)

Lessons learned so far (17:53)

Following up in a year (19:52)

Getting in touch (20:24)

Tara is contactable at: tara.dawson1@nhs.net

20
sep
0

Podcast – Practice Index – How practices stay profitable

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It’s all about profitability on this week’s podcast. In the second of our Practice Index panels, Practice Managers Robyn Clark and Nicola Davies return and are this time joined by financial expert James Gransby to talk through the current pressures on practice income, particularly during this period of uncertainty. However they have also shared with us their practical advice for managing finances at a local level; how to maximise income, how to avoid commonly made mistakes, where to access the most up to date toolkits and resources to support good financial management and why some practices may operate differently but can be equally profitable.

Introduction (0:43)

Is GP income down overall? (1:06)

How do some practices maintain profitability whilst others are experiencing a drop in their income? (2:43)

Maximising income (Nicola’s approach) (3:40)

Robyn outlines the factors influencing profitability at her practice (5:27)

The importance of claiming income and checking you have been paid (6:39)

Common mistakes that practices are making (7:02)

The disparity in claim eligibility and the benefit of experience (8:18)

PCSE portal (10:38)

Dealing with the fallout of PCSE issues (10:55)

What is the decision-making process when presented with the opportunity of a new enhanced service? (11:34)

Why could an enhanced service prove profitable for one practice and not for another? (12:44)

What opportunities might practices be missing out on? (14:24)

The reasons why practices operate differently but can be equally profitable (16:43)

Final pay controls, pensions, and tax implications (19:14)

Robyn, Nicola, and James’ closing words of wisdom (20:25)

This is the blog James mentioned

Information about Practice’s Index’s PPA Toolkit can be found here

Another resource which has been really popular from AISMA and PI is here

Contact details for the panel are as follows:

  • james.gransby@rsmuk.com
  • robyn.clark3@nhs.net
  • nicola.davies14@nhs.net
13
sep
0

Podcast – James Gransby – PCNs incorporated…

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So much has changed since the formation of PCNs at the beginning of last year in terms of availability of funding and staff and the governance of how we run our networks. As a result, many partnerships, practices, and networks are reconsidering their financial models and specifically, whether incorporation could prove more lucrative in the long run. This week’s podcast features our (almost) resident financial expert, James Gransby, Partner at RSM, who has waded through the reams of guidance and jargon to explain in simple terms what the pros and cons of PCN incorporation are likely to be; what are our options, what we need to watch out for and where the hidden benefits may lie.

Introduction (0:36)

What does incorporation mean and is this the direction of travel for PCNs? (0:55)

Why PCNs may choose to change their financial model at this stage (1:38)

VAT implications broadly (2:11)

Incorporation pros (3:17)

Setting up a PCN as a separate entity (4:19)

NHS pensions (5:07)

CQC registration (6:38)

What are the other governance obligations an incorporated body would have to meet? 7:02)

VAT and staffing setup (8:11)

Tax benefits? (9:26)

Impact and Investment Fund monies (10:49)

Should a PCN incorporate itself or use a local, already incorporated, federation? (11:28)

Will overall funding increases lead to a greater number of limited companies? (12:33)

A PCN in the open market… (14:08)

…versus as an NHS organisation (14:55)

GP practices and incorporation (15:36)

PMS agreements and GMS contracts (18:12)

Getting in touch (18:58)

James is contactable via email at: james.gransby@rsmuk.com

6
sep
0

Podcast – Neil Modha – Recognising the value of Health & Wellbeing Coaches

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A patient’s wellbeing underpins their physical health so what can we do to complement our existing models of care and ensure their wellbeing needs are met? One of our most popular guests (and as it turns out, podcast regular) Dr Neil Modha of Thistlemoor Medical Centre in Peterborough is back on our sofa this week and believes the key lies in the relatively new health and wellbeing coaching roles. What are they? How do they fit within existing staffing and service models? How can practices and PCNs take advantage of these roles, particularly in line with the reimbursement scheme? And most importantly, what value do they add to practices and their patient populations?

Introduction (0:53)

How has Neil’s practice coped during the pandemic? (1:34)

The triage model at Thistlemoor (2:24)

The impact of Covid on general practice locally – and more broadly (3:07)

Integrating health and wellbeing coaches within a practice structure (4:53)

What is a health and wellbeing coach? What can they bring to our table? (6:23)

Are new people required to take on this role or can we upskill existing staff? (7:30)

Where Neil’s PCN are up to in the training and recruitment process (8:39)

The patient journey (10:23)

Caseload (11:43)

What does success look like? (12:20)

Who is responsible for running the training? (13:33)

Proving the impact (14:17)

Utilising funding from the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) (15:49)

Breaking down the financial benefits of the ARRS (17:02)

Where do health and wellbeing coaches fit within the context of the PCN DES? (18:00)

Lessons learned so far (19:54)

Following Thistlemoor’s journey and additional resources (20:57)

Further information regarding health coaching can be found on Thistlemoor’s website here

The WHO wellbeing as a measure for wellbeing is an additional tool Neil and his team are using which should be completed at the beginning and end of the patient journey, to measure the impact of their health and wellbeing intervention.

Here are some reference documents which Neil and his team have kindly provided:

  1. Thistlemoor’s Health and Wellbeing outline service specification
  2. Guideline assessment templates for individual wellbeing consultation (includes; initial consult, nutritional assessment, physical activity assessment, emotional wellness, mindfulness and sleep health)
  3. A Health & Wellbeing coach sample job description

 

If you would like to join the discussion or get in touch, both Neil and Thistlemoor are active in all the usual places:

Twitter:                https://twitter.com/ThistlemoorMC OR https://twitter.com/neilmo

Instagram:           https://www.instagram.com/thistlemoorhealth/

Raw Horizons Academy are a recognised training provider for health and wellbeing coaches and their contact details are as follows:

Website:              academy.rawhorizons.co.uk/

Twitter:                https://twitter.com/RHA_Wellbeing

Facebook:           https://www.facebook.com/rawhorizons

Instagram:           https://www.instagram.com/rawhorizons/

Finally, the link to Neil’s podcast on his practice’s triage model (which Ben refers to) can be found here

30
aug
0

Podcast – Janice Steed – Resilience before, during and after Covid

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The ability to be resilient, as an individual and as a team, has never been more important, particularly over the last 6 months and it is particularly difficult to maintain resilience during a period of such intense change and unpredictability. Luckily for us, executive coach Janice Steed has agreed to return to the podcast to dissect how resilience applies to Covid, how the changes faced by general practice have truly tested our ability to be resilient and offers a wealth of advice and practical tips on supporting primary care staff through the impacts of Covid – and the positive steps that can be taken to move forward from here.

 

Introduction (0:31)

Janice’s initial thoughts (0:48)

The impact of Covid on healthcare more broadly (1:35)

….and on primary care staff (2:37)

Different phases of stress throughout the pandemic (3:09)

The ‘prepare’ phase (3:56)

The ‘active’ phase (4:34)

The implications of having low levels of resilience (s5:20)

The ‘recovery’ phase and adjusting to life after the acute period of Covid (6:00)

How do we take forward the positive solutions we have embedded and avoid reverting to old, more comfortable behaviours? (6:50)

Focus on communication, support for others and recognising that we may go backwards before we go forwards again (8:05)

Practical advice on establishing a support forum locally (10:06)

Who should be involved in a support forum? (12:46)

Can a support forum work virtually? (13:04)

The role of facilitator (14:38)

Getting in touch (15:17)

 

For further support and advice, please visit Janice’s website here

Janice is also contactable via janice@steedconsulting.co.uk

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