If you're a partner in general practice the thing you should do right now is to run your practice as a business.
That doesn't mean you're putting services and patient care second, far from it.
It feels like many GP Partners are uncomfortable thinking of their practice as first and foremost a business. Many probably don't think that's the case, or don't fully understand what that means.
There may even be an unhelpful belief that a business will somehow not meet the needs of patients in the same way a public service would.
A business, strong in every sense can, and almost certainly will, provide great services and patient care. But a provider that delivers great services and does everything it can for its patients may not necessarily be a strong and sound business.
Aim to build a strong, durable business and great service and patient care will almost certainly follow. The other way round, and it will be harder and less certain that one will lead to the other.
A business can have the goal to deliver 'the best services and patient care'. That can be it's permanent and guiding objective. Do that within appropriate financial management, with the right culture, levels of compliance, and workforce management etc, and that goal can still be achieved, and probably more easily so.
Set out for that same goal without meeting those important business needs and it will be harder to achieve the goal and you will almost certainly face other problems. Operate in that way for long enough and it may be terminal for your practice and business.
If you're a partner in general practice the thing you should do right now is to run your practice as a business. If you're unsure what that means or how to do it, then the first thing you should do is to find someone to help you.
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