SPRIG - Small Practice Representation and Interest Group

SPRIG became a formal ADLS committee at the beginning of 2005. It had existed informally since 1985 as a means of countering the isolation experienced by practitioners in small firms. The issues faced by small practitioners have remained similar over the years.

The concept behind SPRIG has been to share experiences about how to achieve balance in our work-lives, so that we can avoid burn-out, go to work happy and excited about the day’s prospects, welcome interruptions, minimise the risk of stress-related mistakes, take a holiday in the middle of the year and see light at the end of the tunnel.

SPRIG 2005 grew out of the success in 2004 of a Small Practice Issues Forum on the theme of “How to take a break from practice: temporary, semi-permanent and permanent exit”. The first forum was about locums, what they do and how to find one.

SPRIG’s achievements in 2005 included well-attended forums on:

• Small practice valuation issues
• Professional indemnity claims: exposure and risk prevention strategies
• Practice management tips from the experts
• Strategies for the bad times: how to plan for an unexpected reduction in your income
• Hanging on by your fingernails: how to manage a crisis and rebound with vigour.

SPRIG’s crowning achievement for 2005 was the launch of the SPRIG Mentoring Scheme in December to provide practitioners with an easily accessible support network designed to assist in reducing the stresses and strains of working in a small organisation.

SPRIG’s successes would not have been possible without the skilled assistance of ADLS staff, in particular, Marcus Martin and Sukumar Verma. Our sincere thanks go to them.

Click here to view the SPRIG committee members

Click here to view the SPRIG Committee 2007/08 Annual Report