Focus on the positives in your practice

Focus on the positives in your practice

(Published 14/04/2020)

It’s without doubt that the last few weeks have been challenging for most.  None of us quite know what the daily news will bring, or what’s coming next, but it’s so important to remain positive and focus on the things you can control.  So, if you do need to pop into your practice at any point for an essential visit, use the time productively.  Here’s a few things you could do:

• Give the practice a ‘spring clean’. If any rooms need a coat of paint, now would be a good time to do re-decorate or update any decor.
• Tidy up any work areas, cupboards or drawers.
• Tidy up onsite parking areas or gardens and consider ways you could make any outside spaces more attractive.
• Give equipment a check over – switch anything on to ensure it’s still working and will work when the time comes that you need to use it again.
• Clean up your practice database – particularly important if you want to use your patient database for any marketing activities.
• Review your practice website – perhaps create a dedicated landing page on the site so your patients know where to find up to date information and advice etc all in one place.
• Make good use of social media – be mindful of what you’re posting and how often, but it’s always good to remind your patients that you’re still there.
• Review your marketing strategy and start to make plans for the next 6-12 months. Consider how you could introduce video marketing as an enhancement to your current activities.
• Consider ways to stay in touch with your patients directly, perhaps via email marketing or a newsletter to establish contact and keep in touch. You could use this communication to provide any advice they might need and let them know that you are available and taking provisional bookings for over the summer months (obviously on the basis that any appointments booked would need to be re-arranged if necessary).  Remember, if you are contacting patients by email, to send them out in small batches to avoid your emails being seen as spam or use an email marketing platform such as Mailchimp so all the messages are sent out in one go.
• Create new posters for the practice that will emphasise to patients that their health is of the utmost importance.
• Place any orders now for Personal Protective Equipment you will need for when you re-open – don’t wait until the go ahead is given to open and then find there is a back log of orders. Get in the order queue now!  Perhaps look at ordering air purifiers etc. and then you’ll be able to let your patients know of the additional measures being implementing when you re-open.
• Register for any free webinars or online training – there’s a wealth of great advice and information out there, so now is a good time to take advantage of this.

Remember, storms don’t last forever, and we will get through this.  If we can be of any help or advice over the coming weeks, please contact us on 0330 088 1156.