Every year, talented people step into the role of a GP Practice Manager, either promoted from within the practice or joining from another industry entirely.
They are handed a remarkable amount of responsibility. Yet, they are often given limited guidance and a line manager—perhaps a GP Partner—who is an expert in medicine but doesn't know the specifics of how to do the PM's job.
It is a testament to their resilience that new practice managers succeed. But most do so at a significant personal cost. They feel isolated, overwhelmed by unclear priorities, and terrified of missing a key compliance task during the intense winter surge.
They slowly, painstakingly figure out where to find information and get help. But this "trial by fire" often takes years, and it would be so much easier, and far less stressful, if they had that support from day one.
This winter, we're launching the #ItTakesPractice campaign to help change that. And we're asking you, our community of experienced PMs, to help a new colleague near you.
The 'trial by fire' learning curve
We've heard multiple firsthand reports from PMs who say they only found critical resources, like the "General Practice Managers UK" Facebook group, after 2 years or more in their role.
Only then did they find a peer network they could turn to with the hundreds of questions that pop up every week. For 2 years, they were navigating one of the most complex administrative jobs in healthcare largely on their own.
We believe the community can shorten that learning curve from years to weeks.
How to help (without making it awkward)
We know it can be hard to offer help. You don't want a new PM to feel singled out, or to feel like you're implying they can't do their job.
So here’s a simple, low-stakes way to share these resources.
Instead of calling out "Claire," who just joined from another industry, just share a link to this article or our campaign poster in your PCN's team chat.
You can simply say:
"I love the idea behind this campaign. It's a tough job, and this is a great reminder that we should all look out for each other. Sharing this so that no PM has to do another winter alone."
That's it. A general, supportive message makes these resources available to everyone, allowing a new manager to access them without feeling put on the spot.
A starter kit of essential resources
When you share this post, you're giving new managers a toolkit that can save them months of stress. Here are some of the key resources we recommend:
General Practice Managers UK (Facebook) - link - This group of over 4,000 PMs is an essential source for shared advice, documents, and vital moral support from peers who get it.
My Practice Manager Guides (Facebook) - link - Our own community group focused on free, practical templates, policies, checklists, and guides to help with compliance and operations.
The My Practice Manager Advice Library - link - A growing hub of practical checklists and articles (like this one!) designed to provide clear, actionable guidance.
Wessex LMC Learning Resources - link - A comprehensive A-Z of educational resources that is invaluable for PMs, regardless of which part of England you are in.
Primary Care Training (Facebook) - link - A specialist group for staying on top of training requirements and opportunities for the whole practice team.
PM Advisors & Mentors Sometimes you need dedicated 1-to-1 help. Advisors like Elaine Mitchell or Ben Scorer can offer specialist consultancy and support.
Share our #ittakespractice poster today - link