Practice managers are well aware of the increased pressure their practices face during the summer months.
While winters are difficult, summer means more staff on holiday, making your rota even more complicated. This results in higher workloads for the rest of the team, not to mention stress for leaders responsible for overseeing all aspects of delivery.
To help you navigate the summer efficiently, we’ve compiled a list of essential tips and strategies for maintaining a well-organised practice. Let’s dive in.
1. Start by understanding the challenges
Everybody loves a summer holiday. But staff absences, combined with a drop in locum supply, can make it difficult to fill rota gaps. If you’re in an area with frequent tourists, you might also see a new source of demand. Understanding the issues is the first step to solving them.
2. Plan ahead of time
Historical data is a useful resource that will allow you to forecast the likely demand this summer. It’ll show you where staff gaps typically arise and give you the direction you need to start posting locum shifts to Lantum well in advance.
If an unexpected gap does arise in your rota, however, posting a shift to Lantum is the best way to find urgent cover. It takes less than three minutes, and 9 out of 10 receive at least one application.
Our workforce platform has an active pool of GPs for you to select from, with 68% of those surveyed saying they were likely to use Lantum to find last minute shifts.
3. Focus on building robust staffing strategies
Communicating with staff and understanding their preferences for time off makes things much easier, especially when you’re looking to build a strong workforce.
We’re doing more to help you find last minute cover in a pinch. With Lantum, you have access to England’s largest locum marketplace, giving you the selection from flexible staff pools in both PCN’s and your ICS.
4. Make staff well-being a focus point
Your team works hard throughout the year and deserves a break.
Accommodating time off and encouraging them to take breaks pays off in the long term. Be honest and open about the workload that’s coming in the summer months, because being empathetic is a simple and powerful way to boost motivation.
5. Keep patients in the loop
If you need to communicate operational challenges, spread the word as early as possible.
Highlighting extended hours, alternative services and any potential delays is an effective way to manage expectations and improve the overall patient experience.
Think about the channels you’ll use to make patients aware of changes in appointment availability, and lay the groundwork now to make sure they know who to turn to in an emergency.
6. Make use of automation
Using self-service scheduling platforms, telemedicine and remote consultations can help save you time in the long run. A small investment of time now to get to grips with these solutions will pay off throughout the summer and beyond.
On Lantum, Instant Book lets a select group of your most trusted clinicians book sessions with you without the need to review their application first, and Priority Access opens up your sessions to your favourite locums. Stay in control of your rota when filling shifts in a pinch whilst we handle the invoicing and paperwork for you.
7. Reach out and collaborate with your PCN
When you’re focused on the fine details that go into delivering excellent care, sometimes it really pays to stand back and see the big picture.
Collaborating with your local PCN or even ICS is an effective way of sharing resources and getting access to more support. Practice Managers have achieved impressive results during the summer months by organising joint initiatives and coordinating emergency plans.
Just like with the previous tip, a small investment of time now saves you hours and hours of headaches in the near future.
8. Control your cashflow
Staying on budget and controlling your practice’s cash flow is more important than ever.
Lantum’s all-in-one workforce management platform makes it easy to fill gaps in your rota at a lower cost, providing low fees for locum GPs compared to recruitment agencies and direct debit payments - so you know exactly where your budget is going.
Plus, 80% of GPs on Lantum are subscribed to next-day payments. That means when they work shifts at your practice, we’ll pay them the next day at no extra cost to you.
Instead of managing a pile of invoices and dealing with GPs chasing for payment, you can pay all your invoices together on a schedule that works for you.
Final thoughts on the summer ahead
Our research has shown that the earlier you plan ahead, the higher the level of delivery you’ll be able to achieve. Posting vacant shifts in bulk to Lantum early will improve your fill rate, and keeping staff and patients updated on operational changes will lift morale and manage expectations effectively.
If unexpected changes do happen in your rota, then posting a last minute shift to our platform will notify GPs of available shifts to make sure you’re not left running on empty.
Collaborating with PCNs nearby will allow you to share insights, strategies and resources at a time when your options are constrained. Looking into automation and remote service provision will also allow you to extend your coverage and delivery in a highly efficient manner.
We know you’re always pushed to do more with less. Our platform is ready and waiting to help you automate and streamline a large portion of your summer planning.
Want to get started with Lantum? Register your practice to start posting shifts.
