An operations officer and a practice team leader talk about the value of having a robust management structure in place in general practice. Debbie Beels oversees three medical practices in Manchester, and her colleague Stacey Simpson supports her at practice level.

Altogether their organisation serves around 25 thousand patients, but they’ve developed a management structure – and a way of working together - to help keep everything running smoothly, through good times and bad. For the many practice managers who work in isolation in Primary Care, Debbie and Stacey give some tips on staying connected and sharing ideas.

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In this episode we focus on the relatively new provision of Chaplaincy within General Practice, and hear how the Chaplains’ ability to listen to an individual’s physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs can complement - and even enhance - the provision of medical care alone.

Chaplains Jean Hurlston and Jonathan Gallagher are joined by the PCN Lead Nurse for Stalybridge – Reanne White – to talk about the difference a Chaplain can make, not just for patients, but also for the NHS workforce.

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Even before the Covid 19 pandemic started, the pressure on primary care services was already high; contributing to increased levels of sickness absence and sadly, even causing some people to leave the service. That pressure increased during the pandemic, when primary care staff kept working to support the general population, and even now, post-pandemic, the demand on our NHS workers continues to increase.

But – as this episode explores – Manchester’s primary care staff who are experiencing high levels of stress and fatigue can now find support through the organisation’s Health and Wellbeing programme. Dominic Anderson - manager for the Health and Wellbeing Programme in Greater Manchester Primary Care – explains what is available, and highlights the positive impact of encouraging ourselves and our teams to focus on keeping mentally and physically well.

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Continuing on the theme of social prescribing link workers, this episode focuses on those who specifically help children and young people to access health and wellbeing services in their community; a key area of need given the increasing issues relating to the mental wellbeing of our younger people that are regularly spotlighted.

Charlotte Leonhardsen returns and is joined this time by Rosie Luery – a Young Person Social Prescribing Link Worker – and Joseph Campbell – a Young Person Pathway Team Leader. Both Rosie and Joe are from Be Well, the social prescribing service for Manchester.

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In this episode we highlight the vital work of our social prescribing link workers, who are trained to identify and support all those non-medical reasons why a person might be experiencing a dip in their general health and wellbeing.

Nicola Spiby-Roberts – the Social Prescribing Operations Manager at Wellbeing Matters in Salford - and Charlotte Leonhardsen – who leads on social prescribing within the recently formed NHS Greater Manchester – explain how social ills, such as loneliness or poverty, can’t be fixed by doctors or medicine, but can be helped by local activities or services.

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In this episode we’re joined again by Rusty Carroll – NHS leader, clinician and PTSD survivor – to explore the role a leader plays in ensuring the wellbeing of teams and individuals at work. And as Rusty explains, a little extra attention can go a very long way.

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The highly experienced psychotherapist Norma Howes continues to help us understand trauma, and its impact on the body and mind. How does trauma affect our ability to communicate; and what can frontline services do to recognise symptomatic behaviours and help both themselves and our patients after experiencing a traumatic event?

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It can be so hard working on our frontline services, where many of our patients – and indeed our staff – are either trying to deal with or have experienced trauma. Maybe you are trying to cope with this personally too. In today’s episode, the first of 2 on this broad subject, we talk to Norma Howes, an experienced social worker and psychotherapist who specialises in trauma. And we discover some of the very simple things that could really help all of us.

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