Do Practice Managers affect patient outcomes?

I was scrolling through LinkedIn one evening, when I came across a great question posed by Ed Kennedy. The question was ‘do practice managers impact patient outcomes?’

Well as an ex-practice manager I thought absolutely they did, but it was something that I didn’t consciously think about when I was back in practice. I thought this was a great question for an episode of the podcast, so Ed joined me for a really wide-ranging conversation that showed just how almost everything a practice manager does impacts patient outcomes. 

Ed Kennedy is Managing Partner at a two-site GP practice in Hampshire, caring for 14,000 patients and leading a team of 60 staff. He has spent his career in healthcare, beginning in community pharmacy, moving into the pharmaceutical industry, and spending the past decade in primary care management. He has a Master’s in Health Economics, Policy and Management from the London School of Economics, with academic research focused on how leadership—particularly non-clinical leadership—affects health outcomes. His dissertation explored the role of Practice Managers in shaping patient care and system performance, an area often overlooked in health policy and research.

Ed is a Director of the Institute of General Practice Management, where he leads on national dispensing issues, and is committed to raising the profile and professional standards of practice management. He has a particular interest in the sustainability of general practice, workforce leadership, and evidence-based decision-making in primary care.

The Leadership in Practice podcast, hosted by Gary Hughes, is for Practice Managers and all leaders in general practice and if you are in this role, you’ll know how complicated and difficult it can be.

In each episode I’ll be discussing a business, management or leadership challenge, and I’ll provide ideas and tools to help you understand how you can be a better leader of your practice.

If you want to be a regular listener to the show the easiest way is to subscribe on
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