freemeup IN PRACTICE

Episode 8 - Partnership is Stewardship. In this episode of  freemeup IN PRACTICE , James explores the non-medical side of being a GP Partner and why it doesn’t need to feel overwhelming. If you listened to the previous episode, you’ll remember the Practice Manager was described as the operational heartbeat of the practice. That still stands. But this episode shifts the lens. Because GP Partners ca...

Episode 7: The Pivotal Role of the Practice Manager What happens to a GP practice when the person who holds everything together suddenly isn’t there? In this extended episode, James takes listeners inside the unseen world of the Practice Manager — the quiet stabiliser who keeps the rhythm of the practice steady while pressure builds from every direction. Drawing on years of experience across Scott...

Episode 6 – Keeping the Momentum Mini-Series 2: Making It Work Starting is one thing. Sustaining? That’s where the real work lies. In this final episode of the  Making It Work  mini-series, James Johnstone explores what it really takes to keep change alive in your GP practice — long after the project buzz fades and real life takes over. Because just like a patient who stops their inhaler when they...

In this episode of  freemeup in Practice , James explores one of the biggest hidden drains in General Practice — misalignment. When the wrong people do the wrong work, GPs drown in admin, staff feel underused, and patients face unnecessary delays. Through real case studies — from duplicated diabetic reviews to underused pharmacists and referral bottlenecks — James shows how shifting tasks safely,...

In this episode of  freemeup in Practice , James Johnstone kicks off the second mini-series,  Making It Work , by exploring how small, practical changes can deliver big results for your practice. Drawing on real practice stories, James shows how silent drains — from repeat prescribing queries to clunky meetings — can quietly bleed away time, money, and morale. He explains why saving money isn’t al...

In this episode, we shift the conversation from financial reflection to strategic foresight. Most GP practices "manage" month to month—but too few pause to map what's ahead. Forecasting isn't just spreadsheets and formulas—it's leadership in action. James walks through: • What forecasting actually means in general practice • Why most practices avoid it (and what that costs) •...

Episode 2: The P&L as a Mirror (Even If You Don’t Have One)  Part of the  Foundations First  mini series In this episode, we’re handing the mic to your practice’s P&L—the profit & loss statement—and exploring what it really has to say. Is it calmly guiding you with clarity? Or quietly warning you from a drawer you haven’t opened in months? James dives into: • What a P&L really is—a...

In this opening episode of the Foundations First mini-series, James Johnstone invites GP partners and Practice Managers to step away from spreadsheets for a moment and tune in to the emotional heartbeat of their practice finances. Instead of asking “Are we profitable?” or “What does the budget say?”, we explore a deeper question: ·      What does stability actually  feel  like—day to day, decision...

Ever feel like you’re operating your GP practice half-in the dark? I’m James Johnstone, and in this launch conversation I’ll take you from a weekend brunch and a newspaper ad to ten years of tackling spiralling costs, digitisation headaches, and forecasting blind spots…all without pretending to have every answer. In this episode I surface the hidden metrics silently shaping your decisions, questio...