Profile of Practice Manager Dianne Gross 

Dianne said: 'I like the variety of the role as you never know what you will be doing next. When Covid hit we ran the Stanground site as a vaccination centre and all of the practices in the area visited and many followed our procedures as they were streamlined and the site lent itself to our standard operating procedure.' 

She credits the Lakeside project manager with providing daily updates to ensure practices stayed compliant during the pandemic: 'The support of Simon Beesley from the Central Team was invaluable for practice managers as, without his daily digest of information, practice managers would have had a much harder time interpreting the guidance as it changed so rapidly.' 

The practices are very busy with 20,000 patients and around 50 staff, and Dianne says that openness to ideas and flexibility is crucial. 'Our colleagues know we are here for them and my door is always open. My role is finding that balance between helping the staff and weighing that up against their expectations. I am quite a calm person, with good listening and negotiating skills. I wouldn't ask anybody to do something if I wasn't prepared to do it myself, however, it is the staff and their enthusiasm and positive professional attitude that makes a huge difference in this role; they are what keep me motivated and up for the next challenge.'