Practice Manager Support – Kernow Health | Keeping General Practice at the heart of patient care - Kernow Health | Keeping General Practice at the heart of patient care

Welcome to your dedicated Practice Manager space

Here you will find information on education, training and support offers to assist you in your role as Practice Manager/Assistant Practice Manager, as well as a range of resources and links to support you and your team. We are working to develop a community of Practice Managers who are connected to their peers and feel they are supported in their role.

Networking Opportunities and Collaboration

Practice Manager Drop-in Sessions

We run countywide monthly drop in sessions for Practice Managers/Assistant Practice Managers. These meetings last between 60-90 minutes and are an opportunity for you to connect with your peers, exchange information, ask questions about issues in your practice, and a safe space to offload from a difficult day. They run virtually, and you are welcome to join (with a coffee!) as and when you like. Invites are sent around in advance. If you would like an invitation to join the meetings and are not currently on the distribution list, please contact kernowhealthcic.workforce@nhs.net.

ICA Practice Manager Meetings

Practice Manager Meetings will recommence face to face in September 2022 on an ICA basis. These meetings include attendance from LMC, CCG and Training Hub representatives.

Dates and venues (TBC)

If you have not received an invite and would like to attend, please contact kernowhealthcic.workforce@nhs.net.

Practice Manager Networking Events

We offer Practice Managers the opportunity to get together countywide twice a year, to network with your peers. These events are a half day face to face. The next scheduled dates are: (TBC).

Customised GP Closure Support Models

Education and Training for Practice Managers

We offer a range of courses through the Training Hub to support you in your role, whether you are new into post, or are experienced in your role.

Our People Management Classes run twice a year and cover the following topics:

Managing Absence and Wellbeing
Identifying and Managing Poor Performance
Positive and Productive Performance Conversations
Diversity, Inclusion and Unconscious Bias
Best Practice Recruitment
Conducting Effective Interviews
Appraisals
Management Skills

We also offer courses on coaching, mentoring, assertiveness, managing difficult conversations, CQC, QOF, GP Partnerships, Operational Practice Management and Introduction to PCN finance.

If you would like some leadership development we run 1 day courses to development programmes.

Please visit our courses pages for further details on these and other courses, and to book your place.

Practice Manager Development and Accredited Training

The IGPM have now launched a framework for accreditation of Practice Managers, to enable you to become recognised in your profession. For details of the Framework please visit the IGPM website. If you want to discuss any bespoke training or support which may enable you to evidence your proficiency, please contact kernowhealthcic.workforce@nhs.net.

If you want to undertake an accredited course, there are a variety of accredited training courses available for you to access. Please visit the provider for further details of the course content.

AMSPAR Level 3 and 5 in Medical Administration and Terminology
AMSPAR Level 5 in Primary Care Health Management
Diploma in Advanced Primary Care Management – National Association of Primary Care . A one year online masters level programme designed for individuals managing primary care locally and at scale.
PMA GP Assistant Practice Manager – Practice Manager Association, ILM Level 3 Diploma in Leadership and Management . This is for those aspiring into a management role and those looking to move into practice management.
PMA GP Practice Manager– Practice Manager Association, ILM Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management. This is designed for those already working in a management role.
PMA Senior Manager – Practice Manager Association, ILM Level 7 Diploma in Leadership and Management. This is for aspiring senior managers and those who are well established in the practice management role.
CIPD Foundation Certificate in People Management Level 3 – Cornwall College
CIPD Foundation Certificate in People Management Level 3 – Truro College
CIPD Associate Diploma in People Management Level 5 – Cornwall College

Apprenticeships

An alternative way of gaining a qualification is through an Apprenticeship. The Practice Managers Association offer a range of apprenticeship qualifications, as an alternative way of gaining a formal qualification. CIPD apprenticeships may also be available through Cornwall College and Truro College

If you would like further information or support with any of the above courses, please contact kernowhealthcic.workforce@nhs.net.

Individual Practice Manager Coaching and Mentoring Peer Support

If you are new to Practice Management, or in need of a bit of extra support we have a Practice Manager Advisory Team who can help you in your role. They are a group of experienced Practice Managers who work across Practices in Cornwall. They can provide you with advice and guidance, or provide mentoring or coaching support, by phone, online or in person. If you are new to Cornwall, they can help you navigate the healthcare system and signpost you to relevant resources and support. To request support from a Practice Manager Advisor, please complete the form at the side of the page.

If you are an experienced Practice Manager and would like to join the Practice Manager Advisory team, please contact the Training Hub (kernowhealthcic.workforce@nhs.net) for further details. Training is provided to support you in this role.

If you prefer, we can provide you with support from an external coach to help you with work based topics such as, managing your work life balance, developing your own resilience, managing relationships at work, developing your career or any other relevant topic you may want to discuss. If you would like to take up this offer, please contact kernowhealthcic.workforce@nhs.net.

Training and Support for your team

The Training Hub offers a range of training:

For Admin staff in your team, including Customer care, minute taking, assertiveness, Dealing with difficult people, and Excellence in Admin.

For Clinicians we have a wide range of courses on topics such as diabetes, cardiovascular, immunisations, personalised care and dermatology.

Pensions Advice: We now offer Workshops on NHS Pensions.

For details of these courses and to book, please visit our courses page.

Locum Support: We have a range of offers to support GP Locums in Cornwall, including access to mandatory training, peer support and CPD.

Staff Bank: If you need short term vacancies or odd shifts filling, for example while you’re looking to recruit, we have clinical and non-clinical staff who may be able to provide short term cover, including Nurses, HCA’s, Phlebotomist’s, and GP Locums. For further information, please visit our Staff Bank, webpages or contact kernowhealthcic.workforce@nhs.net.

Useful websites and Resources

The following websites contain various resources and information which may be beneficial to you in your role as Practice Manager/Assistant Practice Manager.

Excellence in Practice – a range of resources and tools through Kernow Health (both free and chargeable) to support the development of Practices

Kernow LMC have a range of knowledge-based resources specifically for Practice managers. You just need to register to access them.

CCG Primary Care commissioning pages provides information for Practices on a range of topics including finance, contracts and patient registration. For general queries please contact primarycare.kernow@nhs.net, for queries relating to payments of statements, please contact or nhskernowccg.primarycarefinancequeries@nhs.net

Practice Index – a free forum for Practice Managers, with a subscription service for resources, policies and protocols.

The Institute of General Practice Management (IGPM) was formed in December 2020. It is the representative body for Practice Managers nationally and is represented locally by Nicola Davies from Roseland Surgery, who is one of the founding members.