Having an expert on hand to ask about a subject we find complicated is a luxury not many of us have – but you can, by attending the next Thornfields primary care training webinar on the new GP Contract. 

The new contract for 2024/5 has just been announced for the NHS and General Practice. The view on different platforms is… that it will make only a tiny difference to practices. I can't agree with that, though. In my view, it is going to make a huge difference to practices and patients, and we cannot ignore it.

NHS England published their letter to all primary care services (28th February) outlining the GP contract arrangements for the upcoming financial year, with changes aimed at improving primary care services, enhancing patient outcomes, and empowering Primary Care Networks (PCNs). We take a look into the key contents of the letter, summarise the important points, and discuss potential implications for ARRS funding, primary care staffing, and general budgets for primary care services in the UK.

With so many new appointments now being subject to the completion of a probationary period and so many questions coming into the FPM advice line asking how to safely dismiss someone on a probationary period, we felt that some guidance would be helpful...

To kick off 2024, our anonymous blogger and practice manager gives their thoughts on worsening financial pressures, vaccination campaigns, and the forthcoming general election.

Recently there have been some new studies published which shed light on how General Practice in the UK compares to other countries. In this second part of our report, we crunch the numbers around funding and pay.

Christmas can be a difficult time of year for staffing levels, what with increases in sickness absence, mounds of holiday requests and the odd suspicious absence. All of these factors together can be further compounded by increasing patient demand over the winter months.

The FPM HR helpline sees hundreds of queries each year from practice manager members, some common and some not so common. In this second part of our new series of articles, our HR expert Ciara Burns looks at the subject of Contracts of Employment.

With a national staff shortage of nurses in the NHS and private sector, UK employers are relying heavily on the international workforce to bridge the gap through recruitment. Tens of thousands of international nurses arrive in the UK each year, but at what cost for GP Practices?

Our HR advisor tackles some frequently asked questions around employee consultations - when are they useful, what can they achieve, and how should they be carried out?