Staff across general practice are currently feeling the impact of the enormous increase in workload as a result of the pandemic and business as usual spectacularly colliding but what is life like at the top of a PCN right now? How are the Clinical Directors bearing the additional burden, managing the demands from their own workloads, and finding adequate time to support and grow new, integrated teams across their network? In this week’s podcast, we welcome back GP and executive coach Rachel Morris who offers her usual brand of practical, innovative, and accessible solutions for managing team stress and individual pressure. Rachel is joined by Dr Nicky Turner, Clinical Director for The Chalfont PCN in Buckinghamshire, who shares her experiences in the role and where her own support systems exist. Together, our panel explore where the challenges lie right now, what can be done to preserve and promote team and personal resilience – and finally how and why listeners to the podcast should access further support of their own and resources from Rachel’s Resilient Team Academy

 

Introductions (39 secs)

Nicky’s PCN demographic (55 secs)

What are the main challenges Nicky faces in her role right now? (1 min 16 secs)

Is the issue of workload the main factor or is it wider than that? (1 min 43 secs)

Working across practices within a PCN (2 mins 9 secs)

Managing people and change (3 mins 12 secs)

The impact of the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) (4 mins 13 secs)

Rachel’s view on the pressure Clinical Directors are under (4 mins 42 secs)

What is helpful in terms of support? (5 mins 21 secs)

Nicky’s perspective on reducing stress and being more effective (6 mins 16 secs)

Actively seeking support (7 mins 1 sec)

The Drama Triangle (7 mins 43 secs)

Are softer skills really beneficial? (9 mins 36 secs)

Tailoring resilience training for different leaders (10 mins 19 secs)

Finding support in difference places (11 mins 41 secs)

The Resilient Team Academy (12 mins 5 secs)

Building a stronger team (13 mins 39 secs)

Planning for team engagement, post Covid (14 mins 30 secs)

Embedding ARRS staff (15 mins 29 secs)

Lessons learned from others’ experiences…what will get from joining The Resilient Team Academy? (17 mins 27 secs)

Constructive conflict (18 mins 53 secs)

The issues of virtual meetings and the impact on building great team relations (19 mins 48 secs)

Final words from Rachel (19 mins 59 secs)

Here is the link to the Resilient Team Academy website which contains information on the resources available, the current discounted offer– and how to join up.