Food for thought. Meeting wider needs – food banks, fitness and finance

The Management in Practice2015/2016 winter issue is now available in print and online. The lead interview is with Stephen Dorrell, the new chair of the NHS Confederation. With general practice and the NHS under increasing pressure he discusses how both he and the NHS Confederation see the burden lifting off surgeries’ shoulders. In this issue the main feature focuses on helping patients with non-clinical needs. The piece, by freelance health writer Alison Moore, looks at how practices across the country have introduced services that help patients outside the consultation room. Exercise classes and citizens advice services are just two examples. Practices have also made efforts to signpost patients to food banks and counselling services. Suicide rates among young men have increased over the years. Victoria Medical Centre in Westminster, London, joined forces with Westminster University and introduced a study that helped men tackle stress-related issues. The study’s GP lead, Dr Susan Rankine, explains how counselling and acupuncture had a positive effect on the 142 men that were part of the study. The magazine has 12 insight pieces giving a view into how practices are working across the country as well as articles offering possible ideas for implementation. GP Gavin Jamie who runs the QOF website discusses last QOF year’s results and explains how important it is for surgeries to see how other practice are doing. Continuing professional development (CPD) is fast becoming the norm for non-clinical team members. Staff training with the added bonus of CPD boosts team morale and encourages the team to strive for the very best. Practice manager and business partner Emmy Butcher explains how it can work for you. It’s not unheard of for a patient to have a fall on your premises, but do you know what to do if it does happen? Anne Crandles, freelance practice consultant, outlines how to prevent falls in your place of work and what to do if it does happen. Your online system has been tampered with and patients’ data disappeared. How do you deal with such a breach in security? The Government Communication Headquarters (GCHQ) discusses the steps to take if you’ve been hacked. Women suffering from domestic violence are often isolated and unable to seek help. Swindon Women’s Aid has introduced a pilot in the area where outreach workers are situated in general practices one day a week so that patients’ suffering domestic abuse can have access to help. Freelance health writer, Emma Dent looks at how it has worked in Swindon so far. Elderly scam victims are more than twice as likely to go into care than their unaffected neighbours. Robyn Ellison, policy officer at Chartered Trading Standards Institute and Louise Baxter who heads up the National Trading Standards Team, discuss how general practice can play its part in helping to stop these scams affecting patients. To read the latest issue click here.