How to manage overwhelm - 7 key questions for Primary Care Network Leaders

Whether or not you are new in post, the amount of information and pulls on our time we have to contend with as primary care network leaders can be overwhelming at points.

In these moments, I tend to refer to the following 7 key questions to help me; create a plan, focus and tackle one task at a time.

In order to execute this, you will need to work with your leadership and management team to identify.

1. How are we progressing against your business plan / quarterly plan or targets?

2. What are the current priorities?

3. What is urgent, and what is important?

4. What should I do NOW, NEXT or LATER?

5. What information do I need to get started or complete the task?

6. Who do I need support from to help you move forward?

7. What is the implication if the task does not get completed? What are the risks?

Further ideas

At the time of publishing this blog, we are in Q4, and our blog titled What to focus on in Q4 - A Guide for Primary Care Network Leaders will provide some guidance or ideas for where & what you may want to focus on as we close out the financial year.

Our Top Tips to Improving your Primary Care Network Weekly Leadership and Management Meetings will also be helpful to create a regular touch point each week to ensure you remain on track.

From here, go for a walk, and then when you return to your desk, remove all distractions and tackle the hardest task first and Eat that frog!😀

We hope this helps.

About the author

I'm Tara; I am the founder of THC Primary Care, an award-winning healthcare consultancy specialising in Primary Care Network Management and the host of the Business of Healthcare Podcast, where we have now published over 200 episodes. I have over 20 years of project management and business development experience across the private and public sectors, and I have supported over 50 PCNs by providing interim management, training and consultancy.

I have managed teams across multiple sites and countries; I have an MBA in Leadership and Management in Healthcare, I'm published in the London Journal of Primary Care, and I am the author of over 250 blogs.

I have 3 children. My eldest has Asthma, my middle child has a kidney condition called Nephrotic Syndrome, and my youngest daughter has Type 1 Diabetes, so outside of work, healthcare plays a huge role in my life.