The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners
-
There is little evidence and no agreement on what constitutes full-time working for GPs. This is essential for workforce planning, resource allocation, and accurately describing GP activity. ⋯ At the current average duration of sessions, six sessions per week aligns with the NHS definition of full-time hours. However, hours per week is a more consistent way to define full-time work for GPs.
-
People with new psychotic symptoms may be managed in an Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) service. They may be discharged back to primary care at the end of their time in an EIP service. ⋯ This study suggests that GPs should have a role in the support of people in EIP services (in particular, monitoring and managing physical health) and their carers. Inclusion of GPs in managing discharge from EIP services is vital. We suggest that a joint consultation with the service user, their carer (if they wish), along with the EIP care coordinator and GP would make this transition smoother.
-
The new Scottish GP contract introduced in April 2018 aims to improve quality of care through expansion of the multidisciplinary team (MDT) to enable GPs to spend more time as expert medical generalists with patients with complex needs. ⋯ Following the introduction of the new Scottish GP contract, patients in this study's sample were accepting of first contact care from the MDT but still wanted continuity of care and longer face-to-face consultations with GPs. These findings suggest that the expert generalist role of the GP is not being adequately supported by the new contract, especially in deprived areas, though further quantitative research is required to confirm this.