GP Mentorship

Do you want to talk to someone impartial about your career and development options?

Have you recently returned to work, or moved into a new role that you are finding a challenge?

Do you feel you need to evaluate your work/life balance or manage your time differently?

Calderdale LMC is pleased to announce that a new mentoring service, GPMplus, is now available free of charge to GPs, Practice Managers, Nurses and other senior practice staff with leadership/decision making responsibilities, working in General Practice within the Calderdale LMC area.

Individuals accessing mentoring will each be offered up to 8 hours of 1:1 mentoring support, provided by trained and experienced mentors, all of whom have experience of working in General Practice.

As these areas of work are directly supported by local commissioners through the use of GPFV grant funding, the service is free at the point of access. The availability of access to mentoring will be subject to and dependent upon commissioner funding support. Calderdale LMC continues to work with commissioners to secure ongoing funding to support this service.

Why mentoring?

The need for mentorship has been recognised nationally through the GP Forward View, regionally through the experience of the NHS England appraisal process, and locally through LMC surveys.

There are many forms of support available ranging from general wellbeing support, counselling, coaching and through to mentoring. Each of the types of support has its place and benefit, however it is mentoring with its focus on supporting the mentees through their career development, that has been shown to:

• Aid development, at all stages of an individual’s career.

• Improve retention rates and work performance as well as working relationships.

• Encourage equality and reduce discrimination

YORLMC and Leeds LMC delivered a GP mentoring pilot for 18 months and the service evaluation showed that 94% of mentees received the help, insight and guidance they expected from their mentorship. 94% of mentees also stated that the mentorship had had an impact on their professional life.

Mentoring can help in a number of aspects of your professional life, including but not limited to: Career/development options; workload; returning to work; confidence; work environment/disputes; time management; stress management; transition into a new role; dealing with change; leadership skills; work life balance.

How to find out more

More details about the service are available on the attached leaflet, and the GPMplus website: www.gpmplus.co.uk