Did you see the NHS’s new guide on How to Align Capacity with Demand in General Practice, published May 8th? If not, you can find the link here. 

It aims to help practices measure and understand daily patterns of patient contacts and type of need in order to forecast how much and what type of capacity is needed.

The idea is that practices can then use this data to review rotas and clinics, to help smooth peaks and troughs, giving practice teams back a sense of control. They even provide some tools to help you do it, like an appropriate appointment data collection sheet, and digital triage calculator.

But that’s all much easier said than done, right? In order to use those (somewhat complex!) tools and use the data to your advantage, you need to know:

• what sort of data you need to be collecting,
• how to interpret it
• how you will act on the data,
• how you will prove that the whole thing was worth it, and has produced tangible improvements. 

People in the health sector have had enough of change for change’s sake, so it can’t just be another box ticking exercise… Then you also have to find the time to actually do all that!

Thornfields: bringing PMs together to share best practice and help each other

Unsurprisingly, many practice managers are unsure where to start, and want to know how others have done it. That’s where Thornfields comes in – we bring PMs together to share best practice and help each other. In our Tackling Access course, our expert trainers take you through each step of the process and give you the templates and resources you need to make real, lasting change. Here are just a few areas you’ll be upskilled on:

• The current patient experience – acting on feedback
• Staff competence framework
• Putting in place practice standards
• Using your telephone system effectively

The course is available as a Full-day or Half-day workshop – to enquire or book now, just click here.