STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

Leading to

THE DIPLOMA IN PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE MANAGEMENT

This is a practice focused development programme for practice managers needing the knowledge and skills at both operational and strategic level, to manage and provide a business direction in today’s modern professional practices.

Upon completion of the programme participants can, as an option, undertake the assessment for The Diploma in Professional Practice Management. This is a unique qualification, accredited by the Institute for Leadership & Management, written specifically for practice managers across the professional sectors.

Duration and Study Options

The Strategic Management Development Programme is delivered over about 12 months through a comprehensive series of learning events. Participants can choose from a combination of traditional and contemporary learning methods, designed to suit their individual learning preferences and workplace convenience.

Traditionally taught study days, for those who prefer to attend a learning session with other practice managers in their locality, are delivered subject to demand every six weeks (avoiding the school holidays) in regional venues across the country. An exclusive online web-based series of learning events is also made available to participants on the programme, accessible day or night from anywhere with a connection to the Internet. Attending taught sessions, accessing online materials, or a combination of the two - however you choose to learn you will be guaranteed comprehensive tutor support provided through personal learning mentors and experienced teachers who are subject specialists in professional practice development.

What our customers say:

We are proud to have received excellent recommendations from our past customers – what they say about us far surpasses what we would want to claim for ourselves.

We have provided below just one or two references, but are always delighted to put anyone in touch with someone who has completed the programme, or has benefited as a result of funding a member of staff through the development programme.

I have no hesitation in commending the value of this Diploma course. Our manager has been on the Diploma course for the past 10 months, it has been good to see her grow as a manager during this time. I’m sure that without the expertise gathered from the course the difficulties encountered [by the practice] would not have been handled in such a professional way.

Dr James Norman (Senior Partner) – Seymour Medical Practice, Easton, Bristol

“A fast paced course, with never a dull moment. Whether increasing your knowledge or as a benchmark exercise, this is a valuable course for all practice managers. The course provided good lecture notes for future reference as well as invaluable practical knowledge.”

Alison, Coombefield Veterinary Hospital, Axminster, Devon

“I finished the DipPPM course this summer – really enjoyed it! It was great to learn so much about what I was doing in my job and more importantly WHY and HOW I could make it better and be in control. The tutors were superb and really made it personal, which allowed us to take everything onboard, and apply it to our own practice. Thank you!”

Michelle, Madeira Dental Care, Poole, Dorset

“This course has helped me to develop in my role as the practice manager in a busy practice with nine GPs”.

Debbie, Burnham Medical Centre, Somerset

Course Content

The programme delivers learning, improves knowledge and develops practical management skills. It especially encourages careful thought on the key current issues that impact on the management of the professional practices. It has a consistent and rigorous structure, which divides the programme into 9 modules as indicated below:

Module 1: Introduction

• Introduction to the learning approach options
• Explanation of the content of the programme
• Underpinning knowledge – building on existing knowledge and skills - to get you started
• Support mechanisms – mentors and teachers
• Familiarisation with some basic IT principles to support access to web based materials

Module 2: Planning and Controlling the Business

This module provides the starting point for considering what practice management is all about. It seeks to illustrate the difference between operational and strategic management, and to gain the confidence of the Practice Manager in using and developing their competence in day-to-day practice management to consider the “bigger picture”. Where is the practice trying to go and how will it get there? The topics covered include:

• Strategic Planning – what it’s all about, how to do it, learn the simple model
• Implementing the Strategy – how to turn the plans into action, achieving the objectives
• Managing Change – change whether imposed or chosen, needs to be well managed

Module 3: People Management

This is the “hearts and minds” module! How does the practice manager manage and lead his or her staff to deliver the agreed and shared objectives of the practice? It’s not just about the day-to-day management of staff but equally getting and keeping the right staff in the first place. Besides the legal aspects of human resource management there are other demands of succession planning, professional appraisal and the effectiveness of training development strategies. Discipline is often seen as a problem – practice managers often perceive difficulties in dealing with under-performance usually to the detriment of themselves and their other staff. Teams, teams, teams - they makes up a practice, so getting the right team dynamics is vital. The topics covered include:

• HR Strategies – knowing what you want to achieve and the workforce that will be most likely to deliver
• Getting the most from your staff – being clear about workforce development and team motivation
• Employment Law – not an attempt to train lawyers, just the practical tips to avoid legal difficulties

Module 4: Information Management

Not always viewed as the most “attractive” area of management but nevertheless we live in an Information Age, particularly with our total reliance on modern information and communication technology. With that technology has come information overload – we have so much information at our fingertips that it is just so easy to simply copy another email to someone else, just forward that set of statistics that might be interesting! In reality information lies at the very heart of managing today’s modern practice. We need it to maintain optimum “customer intelligence”, as well as to manage the practice as effectively and efficiently as possible in an increasingly demanding, and results led environment. The topics covered include:

• Making information work for you – information is a management tool and must not manage you
• Knowledge Management – is about having a practice culture, sharing information for mutual benefit

Module 5: Financial Management

The module that everyone knows they need but wish they didn’t have to study! Professional practices exist in an increasingly competitive environment – maintaining profit levels being increasingly challenging. For those deriving their revenue from the public purse, the pressure to deliver “more for less” is a government demand that is likely to become more severe whatever the political persuasion of this and future governments. This module is not designed to produce accountants, rather to give practice managers a good understanding of how to interpret financial information – often produced by external accountants – and use that information to set and manage the financial performance of the practice. The topics covered include:

• Understanding Accounts – simple ways to understand and use the financial information available
• Budgets – not just monetary values within budgets, but understanding what to do and why
• Profit/Not-for-profit “Costs still Matter” – how else to make commercial decisions about viability

Module 6: Resource Management

This might be viewed as “the common sense module” insofar as most practices today are much more professional in the way they present, and therefore look after and maintain their resources. As practices seek to maximise the income they derive from the resources they pay for, there are some interesting areas which are explored around both sub letting/leasing/renting out practice space; and an overview of best practice. The topics covered include:

• Health & Safety – to ensure that practices are healthy and safe places to both visit and work in
• Effective management of resources – the regimes for inspection, maintenance and improvement, and levering a healthy return on the cost of those resources

Module 7: Marketing Management

Increasingly there has been an acknowledgement that public perception of the “professional” has changed out of all recognition over say the past 15 years. For those practices operating within the NHS it perhaps started with the infamous “patient charter”. This introduced the concept of competition, which for many practices had been an irrelevance, and has moved swiftly on in the government’s unswerving drive for providing “consumer choice”. Increasingly practices across all sectors have been pressured by the increasing demands of customers, in the provision of products and services. Marketing and more especially Social Marketing is simply not about “selling” as is the common misconception, this module seeks to debunk that myth and topics covered include:

• Marketing Strategy – knowing what the practice wants to achieve, how to get customers onboard?
• Getting your message across – communicating your message is just one aspect of marketing

Module 8: Personal Development

One very good reason for a practice manager to undertake training and development is for their own personal development. This course is designed to stretch individuals to achieve the very highest levels of knowledge, skills and understanding to be of practical use in their pivotal roles. The Management School provides a range of diagnostic tools and development webs to enable practice managers to evaluate their existing competences and plan how to develop those that they and their practice seek. It is a very practical module, supported and revisited throughout the course, with the individual’s development considered regularly during the programme – it is not an end in itself because we strive to motivate practice managers to become perpetual goal seekers! Topics covered will include:

• Personal Development Planning – using regular diagnostics to evaluate and plan progression.
• Effective Teams Roles and Leadership – considering theories/models and their practical application
• Managing Upwards

Assessment for DipPPM (OPTIONAL)

To obtain the award of the Diploma in Professional Practice Management participants have to satisfactorily complete the assessments required by the awarding body ILM (which is part of the City & Guilds Group). The award has been mapped against the requirements of management competencies at level 5 in the National Qualifications Framework, and the assessment process reflects the required standards.

A unique feature of the DipPPM is that it enables the practice manager to transfer newly acquired knowledge and skills directly to their work in the practice. It is the ability to demonstrate knowledge, understanding and skills that lie at the heart of the DipPPM assessment process. By studying the various learning sessions in the classroom, and/or undertaking the online learning programme, practice managers build up a management toolkit that will enable them to establish the aims of their practice, evaluate current management practice, and develop and apply new strategies.

The assessment simply requires the candidate to provide evidence of their understanding, and the skills that they have learnt. Each individual participant will be supported in selecting the assessment approach best suited to his or her needs. Students undertaking the DipPPM are required to do “practice based work” at the conclusion of the Strategic Practice Development programme which demonstrates their learning. This work is used to provide evidence for assessment for the Diploma. This work should form part of the individual’s development as a strategic practice manager and so should not increase their workload dramatically.

You will be encouraged to:

• Have a plan that agrees how you will carry out the various tasks for assessment within the timescale allowed (max 6 months from the completion of the development programme), which is realistic and achievable around existing commitments and the demands of a busy practice
• Actively seek feedback and support – that is why you have a nominated support tutor
• Choose one of the three possible ways of completing the final assessment within the 6 months period, which should be convenient and practical:

1. Submission of a strategic business plan for your practice – which will need the help and support of most of your practice colleagues, or

2. Consideration of an existing practice business plan and, in the light of the knowledge and skills that you have developed on the course, suggest how this plan should be improved to make it ‘fit for purpose’ and more up-to-date, or

3. Module-by-module, reflecting upon how the practice is managed and suggesting how this could be improved – again using the knowledge and skills developed on the course.

Further details on the assessment methods for the Diploma are available here

Fundamental Principles inherent in this learning programme:

• Whilst learning and development are very much about personal ambition they are undoubtedly best achieved in partnership - a partnership between the participant, their practice and the provider of the learning.
   
• Any journey identifies a starting point and a destination. All participants are supported in establishing a learning and development plan from the outset that focuses on recognising their existing knowledge and skills, along with awareness of the needs of their practice.
   
• The prime objective at all levels of the programme is the development of knowledge and skills that are practical, useful and immediately transferable to the workplace.
   
• The learning process has many components, principally the establishment of individual learning objectives, taking every opportunity to learn and gain new knowledge, and the development of new practical skills in the workplace which are underpinned by that knowledge and learning.
   
• Regular review and evaluation of the learning and development process is essential.
   
• A comprehensive list of the specifications of each programme and full details of what you are required to achieve is available and explained at the outset.

Help and Advice:

The most important pre-requisite for undertaking any learning development programme is that it is appropriate to the individual, their development needs, and their practice. We are happy to provide any level of 1-to-1 support to individuals and their practices, to begin that mutual support process.

Before embarking on the course we would urge you to take every opportunity to discuss your circumstances – including any previous management development or qualifications (by no means essential!), your current role and responsibilities, your preferred style of learning, and your time availability for study in a busy work environment.

WE ARE HERE TO HELP AND SUPPORT YOU

Telephone us on 01823 672622

Or Contact one of our Support Tutors:

Or use the Contact Us page on this website

You can find more background information on the DipPPM here together with details of the various assessment methods that we use.

Details of how to enrol and the cost of the course can be found here.