The roll-on effects of the COVID outbreak hit general practices in south east Melbourne hard, and many are still recovering today. Seven lockdowns, an immediate pivot in service delivery, workforce constraints due to staff contracting COVID and increased open hours resulted in experienced practice managers leaving the health industry feeling burnt out and often at short notice.

In response to this, a new wave of practice managers were recruited in 2022. Many were promoted from an administrative or nursing background with limited knowledge of what a practice manager role entails. Practice managers are essentially the backbone of a general practice. They’re responsible for overseeing all administrative and business operations, ensuring everything runs smoothly. There was a clear problem – if new practice managers started their roles feeling overwhelmed, general practices were at risk of losing more staff, ultimately interrupting their operations and service delivery. 

SEMPHN has five incredibly dedicated Provider Support Officers (PSOs) who provide direct support to the 500 general practices in south east Melbourne. Our PSOs meet regularly with practice managers to understand their challenges and work together to design solutions that support their business and the wider community. Upon hearing of the recent struggles, SEMPHN’s PSOs put their minds together and developed an innovative pilot program which involved linking new practice managers with established practice managers who had at least 5 years’ experience. The purpose of the program was to establish a voluntary mentor and mentee relationship between new and experienced practice managers by encouraging weekly conversations (over the phone, zoom or in-person) that provide guidance, advice and informal training. 

The pilot peer mentoring program kicked off in November 2022 with fourteen mentors and fourteen mentees participating. Over the course of six weeks, they connected predominantly online or over the phone. Overall, the program was a huge success with mentees reporting increased knowledge and confidence in their role. Both mentors and mentees agreed that connecting with another practice manager enabled problems to be resolved faster. Despite the pilot round of the program finishing, many mentors and mentees still remain in contact because they find having a support network in an often-isolating role comforting.

Two participants Zoe (Mentor and Practice Manager at Carnegie Medical Centre) and Flavia (Mentee and Practice Manager at Brentwood Park Family Practice) who have stayed in touch got the chance to meet at a general practice networking event hosted by SEMPHN. When asked about their experience with the program, Flavia said:

 “The program has increased my confidence and knowledge. Often practice managers are responsible for various tasks and responsibilities which can be overwhelming, this program has allowed me to understand the importance of delegating and collaborating with your team to maximise business goals.”

Zoe explained there are unintended benefits for mentors too.

“I enjoyed being able to help another practice manager in practical and meaningful ways. I also loved that the learning was two way – I learned as much from my mentee as I hope she did from me!”

Program lead and PSO, Michele Frederiks, added “Our role at SEMPHN is to be agile and responsive to the needs of service providers and the wider community. We are so pleased that the peer program offered the support needed for new practice managers, and even better that lasting professional networks have been established through the program.”

Following the success of the peer mentoring program, SEMPHN is now exploring its continuation to support more practice managers across south east Melbourne. 

Primary health workforce initiatives like this, which directly take care of professionals in valued roles, are examples of how SEMPHN helps create opportunities for people in south east Melbourne to live their healthiest lives.