Practice Business Manager in Maidenhead

Claremont and Holyport Practice is a 5-partner practice, and we pride ourselves on delivering high-quality, patient-centred care within a friendly, supportive, and inclusive team environment. We are seeking an exceptional and forward-thinking Practice Business Manager to lead our busy and well-established NHS primary care practice. This is an exciting opportunity for a confident, resilient and highly motivated leader with strong business management expertise, who can provide strategic and operational leadership, ensuring the continued delivery of high-quality, patient-centred services while supporting the practice in responding to the evolving healthcare landscape. This is an excellent opportunity to join a supportive and ambitious practice committed to delivering outstanding care to our local community.

Main duties of the job

As Practice Business Manager, you will have overall responsibility for the effective day-to-day running and long-term performance of the practice. You will lead and inspire a committed management and administrative team, including the Deputy Practice Manager, Admin Manager, Patient Services Manager and IT Supervisor. The role requires strong leadership, organisational and communication skills, and the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Strategic business planning and service development
• Financial management, budgeting and resource planning
• Human resources and workforce management
• Project management and organisational change
• Building and maintaining effective stakeholder relationships
• Ensuring the smooth operational running of the practice
• Working collaboratively with the Primary Care Network (PCN) and external partners
• Reviewing and developing staffing structures and operational processes
• Ensuring the effective utilisation of practice premises and resources

Experience within primary care or the NHS would be advantageous; however, we also welcome applications from candidates with transferable leadership and operational management experience from other sectors.

About us

The practice is a well-respected, long-established practice operating across 2 sites to deliver its service to its 19,500 patients: Claremont Surgery is situated in the Thames-side town of Maidenhead and Holyport Surgery in the small leafy village of Holyport. Our large multidisciplinary team includes GPs, nurses, paramedics, pharmacists, physician associates, and a wide range of allied health professionals. As an esteemed training practice, we are committed to education, development, and innovation, and to fostering strong collaborative relationships with local organisations, community agencies, and our Patient Participation Group, with Partners also holding leadership roles across the local ICs, PCN, and LMC. We value high clinical standards and aim for an excellent patient experience. We have high QoF scores and CQC Good in all areas.

Job purpose

To manage, coordinate and oversee all aspects of practice functionality, motivating and managing staff, optimising efficiency and financial performance, and ensuring the practice achieves its long-term strategic objectives in a safe and effective working environment. Through innovative ways of working, lead the team in promoting continuous improvement, confidentiality, collaborative working, service delivery, learning and development, and ensure the practice complies with CQC regulations.

Primary responsibilities

The following are the core responsibilities of the Practice Business Manager. There may be, on occasion, a requirement to carry out other tasks. This will depend on factors such as workload and staffing levels. The Practice Business Manager is responsible for:

• Overarching management of all clinical and administrative staff
• Managing the recruitment and retention of staff, having an effective appraisal system, and resolving disciplinary or grievance issues
• Maintaining and ensuring compliance with current HR legislation
• Ensuring that all staff have the appropriate level of training to enable them to carry out their individual roles and responsibilities effectively
• Managing the routine financial elements of the practice, including budgets, petty cash, payroll, payments, receipts, pensions and superannuation and partners drawings. Ensuring financial and contractual scrutiny is given on all transactions and activity and set and approve budgets when required
• Ensuring the practice explores all opportunities to maximise income and reduce expenditure in collaboration with the partners
• Briefing partners, quarterly, on all financial matters, including forecasting and future sustainability
• Managing contracts for services, e.g., cleaning and building maintenance
• Coordinating the procurement of practice equipment, supplies and services
• Coordinating the reviewing and updating of all practice policies and procedures
• PCN working with the practices clinical lead to ensure that the practice team are kept up to date on PCN activities, future and recruitment opportunities, briefing the partnership when required
• Leading and coordinating all projects within the practice (this would include developing the PCN, the further development of the practice, planning, risk-assessing and staffing reviews)
• Coordinating and overseeing the administration of the GP trainees and medical students, ensuring all correspondence is dealt with in a timely manner and all claims are submitted for payment, adhering to the time scales
• Managing the compilation of practice reports, the practice development plan and business continuity plan, exploring examples of good practice to influence the planning of the surgery's priorities which may include writing business cases and service level agreements
• To provide visible management and leadership for the practices on both sites, ensuring that the practice staff are always aware of local and national policy and service updates and opportunities, developing the role as a local leader of health and care provision within the local healthcare economy
• Working with the team to reach QOF (Quality and Outcomes) targets and all other quality incentive schemes signed up to by the practice
• Adopting a strategic approach to the management of all patient services matters
• Ensuring ongoing practice CQC compliance. Managing the process by which the practice maintains registration under the CQC. Working with the registered manager, partners, and the team in preparation for CQC inspections
• Developing and coordinating an effective communication strategy (internal and external) and overseeing the communications for internal and external use, such as the practice newsletter, website and social media
• Overall responsibility for all the incoming emails into the practice including NHS E, ICS, and other external agencies, ensuring they are viewed, actioned and forwarded when required, also developing the utilisation of generic email boxes for the management team
• Ensuring the practice maintains compliance with its NHS contractual obligations
• Provide support to the partners and the partnership to ensure excellent team-working and a sound legal framework, including the recruitment of new partners, organisation of away days, and planning meetings, ensuring GP rotas and holiday arrangements are managed efficiently
• Ensure effective partners meetings and practice meetings with clear agendas, minutes and action plans
• Marketing the practice appropriately
• The management of the Patient Participation Group
• Management of all complaints in line with current legislation and guidance
• Managing of estates and facilities, including health and safety aspects such as risk assessments and mandatory training
• Work with the team and external IT providers to ensure that: The practices IT system and other technology (including alarms, phone systems, etc.) are secure, efficient and compliant with all relevant legislation. Ensuring all practice staff are given the training necessary to enable them to use the IT systems as safely and effectively as possible
• Running searching and interpreting data analysis when required
• Ensuring compliance with IT security and IG in liaison with the external Data Protection Officer
• Coordinating the practice diary, ensuring meetings are scheduled appropriately

Secondary responsibilities

In addition to the primary responsibilities, the Practice Business Manager may be requested to:

• Deputise for the Partners at internal and external meetings
• Act as the primary point of contact for NHS(E), ICSS, community services, suppliers and other external stakeholders
• Partake in audit as required

The postholder will be expected to:

• Manage their own time effectively, and plan and meet personal and practice targets
• Manage their own personal development through reflection and feedback from Partners and colleagues and participate in an annual appraisal
• Ensure that personal training needs are identified and met

Person Specification

Experience

• Experience of working with the general public
• Experience of managing and working with accounting procedures including budget and cash flow forecasting
• Experience of change management
• Experience of working in a healthcare setting
• Experienced in chairing effective meetings
• Experience of managing large multidisciplinary teams
• Experience of performance management including appraisal writing, staff development and disciplinary procedures
• Experience of successfully developing and implementing projects, producing business cases and/or bids
• Relevant health and safety experience
• Experience of workforce planning, forecasting and development

Skills

• Ability to exploit and negotiate opportunities to enhance service delivery
• Excellent communication skills (written, oral and presenting)
• Excellent leadership skills
• Strategic thinker and negotiator
• Ability to prioritise, delegate and work to tight deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Effective time management (planning and organising)
• Ability to network and build relationships
• Proven problem-solving and analytical skills
• Ability to develop, implement and embed policy and procedure
• Ability to motivate teams, enhance morale and maintain a positive working environment, including team-building sessions
• Experience of EMIS Web/Systm1/Vison

Qualifications

• Good standard of education with excellent literacy and numeracy skills
• Educated to degree level in healthcare or business and/or relevant experience
• Primary care qualification

Personal qualities and Other requirements

• Polite and confident
• Flexible and cooperative
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Ability to use initiative and judgement
• Forward thinker with a solutions focused approach
• High levels of integrity and loyalty
• Sensitive and empathetic in distressing situations
• Ability to work under pressure
• Confident and resilient
• Ability to drive and deliver change effectively
• Flexibility to work outside core office hours
• Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
• Two professional referees
• Maintain confidentiality at all times
• Full UK driving licence

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

£55,000 to £60,000 a year commensurate with experience.