The schutzstaffel of the GP commissioning consortia
‘It’s all about perspective innit?’ The youthful PCT manager was delighted. He has just been selected by one of our newly hatched commissioning consortia to head up their internal performance teams....
View ArticleCatch that training before it disappears!
Our local GP consortia are beginning to shape up. The PBC groups that form the grit in the oyster around which the pearl of GP commissioning will form are starting to look beyond the old ways, the...
View ArticleWait and GMC
I’ve been reading this week. It’s a bit of a surprise given how much else there is to do in the rapidly shrinking Black Tower - but those nice people at GMC are looking for comments. They’ve released...
View ArticleHow much do GPs know about the NHS reforms?
This week I was pretending to be a proper GP and attended a meeting about finances. It was fascinating to meet other regular GPs from beyond the realm of the Black Tower. The most worrying part of the...
View ArticlePCT clusters are not playing fair
Hopefully you know by now that I’m not a natural game player. One of the reasons why I hated playing with some of the kids at school was that they always thought it funny to change the rules while the...
View ArticleWorking at the PCT is like being at the Somme in 1915
I think it’s fair to say that up close the Silver Fox is a reasonably attractive individual. He’s not my personal cup of tea, you understand, but ageing well, full head of grey hair and a reasonably...
View ArticleRegime change has left the Black Tower eerily quiet
It’s been a fascinating week at the Black Tower while the schools are off. The few remaining skeletal staff are huddling around the photocopier to keep warm. Senior colleagues are getting news that...
View ArticleHello darkness, my old friend
I had some stuff to do in the office on Friday, mostly just finishing off things before heading off on a course on Monday. It was just past five when I looked up from the desk, packed my bag and...
View ArticleCan the new GP leaders win the trust of primary care?
A key part of being a leader is to be trusted by those we lead. Many of us think that trust is something which has to be earned, takes time and either happens or not. At the Black Tower we’ve had some...
View ArticleWhat happens when you say no to the NHS wise men?
It is a very serious question that’s been taxing my brain this week. A friend of mine is a clinical commissioning group (CCG) chair in a different region (yes truly, it is a friend, this isn’t one of...
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