There is a workforce crisis in UK primary care. Analysis of the latest workforce data confirms a continuing drop in England’s number of general practitioners (GPs) – the equivalent of 2,133 fewer fully qualified, full-time GPs than in September 2015. One answer from policymakers has been the introduction of non-GP practitioners into surgeries, to alleviate […]
Achieving the right mix of skills in general practice: it’s a process not a destination
Last year, Dr Imelda McDermott and Dr Sharon Spooner published an article in On Primary Care highlighting policy-driven organisational changes in how general practice is delivered. In the first blog of this series, Dr McDermott, Dr Spooner and Professor Kath Checkland looked at how GP practices are managing changes in the practitioner workforce. In this piece, the authors focus on […]
Managing changes in the general practice workforce
Last year, Dr Imelda McDermott and Dr Sharon Spooner published an article in On Primary Care highlighting policy-driven organisational changes in how general practice is delivered. In this blog, Dr McDermott and Dr Spooner are joined by Professor Kath Checkland and they argue that the future face of general practice is about more than innovative […]
What can be gained from focusing on positives which emerge from the current GP gloom?
Morale in UK general practice has dropped to a low ebb and a shortage of doctors is blamed for an increasing proportion of practices seeking to avoid accepting new patients. Yet week after week around 40,000 NHS GPs continue to work. Researcher and part-time GP Sharon Spooner explores the nature and significance of what motivates […]