I realised in October that I had reached a milestone: 25 years working in the health sector. True to form, I missed the actual anniversary date to post about it, so a month or so later, I finally have the opportunity to reflect on what that means. Why supporting general practice leaders is the best part of my job.
I joined the NHS a couple of years before the big GP contract changes in 2004. Apart from a few great years commissioning dentistry, optometry and community pharmacy in London, my career – and my heart – has always been in general practice: its commissioning, contracting, development and support.
I’ve experienced plenty of highs and lows alongside my primary care colleagues over the years. Today, a significant part of my work involves supporting the GPs, clinicians and managers who lead general practice services, networks and collaboratives, helping them navigate the challenges and opportunities involved in delivering the breadth and complexity of services that the sector is increasingly expected to provide.
Bringing my experience, advice and enthusiasm to the issues they are tackling every day, both through my work as an At Scale Director and in my LMC role, is genuinely the part of my job I enjoy most.
Being a leader in general practice is not for the fainthearted.
Put the significant clinical responsibilities to one side for a moment, and the leadership roles alone demand an extraordinary range of skills. They require time, attention, resilience and an ability to work with a huge amount of ambiguity (despite the reams of policy, strategy and guidance documents we’re all expected to read!). They demand local and system knowledge, a strong network of peers and ever-changing contacts, business and financial acumen, and a considerable amount of emotional intelligence.
For the doctors, nurses, clinicians and managers who step into these roles, there is an awful lot to juggle. Meetings, emails, reports, HR issues, data submissions, service planning, governance and stakeholder engagement can quickly fill every available hour.
It’s my privilege to help make some of that easier. Whether that’s working through a tricky contractual issue, developing a business case, preparing for a challenging conversation, strengthening governance or planning the next stage of a service, I enjoy bringing some structure, perspective and practical support to the challenges leaders face.
And some of my greatest satisfaction comes from seeing that preparation translate into something tangible: a successful event, a strong business case, a productive conversation, a new service or simply a problem that finally gets resolved. The big wins matter, but so do the smaller achievements that often go unnoticed.
Good strategic planning, sound governance and a clear understanding of contractual responsibilities might not always be the most exciting parts of leadership, but they create the foundations that allow organisations, teams and individuals to move forward with confidence.
Ultimately, strong general practice leadership helps build services that work better for patients. That’s what makes this work so worthwhile.
After 25 years, I’m still surprised, challenged and impressed by the issues general practice leaders are dealing with – and, more importantly, by the solutions they find. No two days are the same, and I remain incredibly grateful to the people I’ve worked with, and continue to work with. They inspire me, impress me and only occasionally infuriate me!
I’m also excited about the leaders I haven’t met yet and the opportunities we’ll have to work together.
If you’re already in a general practice leadership role and would value some additional support, or you’re thinking about taking your first steps into leadership and would like to understand what that involves, I’d love to hear from you. Click here to book
And if the team at At Scale can help you bring a little more capacity, confidence or clarity to your role, even better.
The At Scale Leadership Support https://lnkd.in/eTNN_YR2 can be individually tailored based on your own personal needs.
