Between managing staff, dealing with patients, costs, finance pressures and other administrative tasks, it's no wonder that burnout is a common occurrence in our field. The demanding and stressful nature of our profession can contribute to burnout, a chronic form of stress that results from prolonged exposure to job demands that exceed an individual's resources.

With a national staff shortage of nurses in the NHS and private sector, UK employers are relying heavily on the international workforce to bridge the gap through recruitment. Tens of thousands of international nurses arrive in the UK each year, but at what cost for GP Practices?

Awareness of the effects of menopause on staff is often poor, leading to problems with staffing and morale. Following a recent government report into managing the menopause in workplaces, we look at what you should know about a condition which affects 51% of the population.

A chaperone is defined by the CQC as “an impartial observer, present during an intimate examination of a patient”. The chaperone plays an important role in protecting both patients and staff during intrusive and invasive examinations. They help to reassure the patient, protect their dignity, offer support and facilitate communication – this may be particularly important if there is a language barrier, for example.

Communication in any organisation is probably the most important pillar of how it functions and how effective and sustainable it is. There are two main strands to an organisation’s communication; the way in which people communicate between themselves inside the organisation, and the way they do so with those outside of that group. For an organisation as complex (and as new) as a Primary Care Network (PCN), there needs to be significant investment made in ensuring that PCN communication is the best it can be.

FPM takes a look at why you should consider employing an individual with learning disabilities and what support mechanisms are available for GP practices in the UK.

With the NHS being responsible for 4% of the country’s carbon emissions (for comparison 5.9% of our carbon footprint relates to air travel), GP practices have the opportunity to lead the way in environmental sustainability and improve patient health.

Giving a voice to your employees is one of the most powerful things a manager can do. It's an underutilised tool available to all practice managers, so we explore what it is, how you can use it and the benefits that it can bring to your staff.

Nobody who has been watching the news over the last month or so can have failed to be moved by the plight of Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion of their country. Many of them are vulnerable women and children, and some of them have made their way to the UK, seeking safety and healthcare.

Sometimes we all feel that we "can't see the wood for the trees" - we're too close to a situation to view it with any perspective. That's when we need to step away for a while, and away days are a great way of doing this. Use them to build trust, learn new skills, and say thank you!