Health care analysis : HCA : journal of health philosophy and policy
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Historical Article
What is primary care? Developments in Britain since the 1960s.
Since 1994, health policy in the UK has focused explicitly on making the NHS 'primary care-led'. However, the meaning of primary is contested by different health professions and by policy-makers. This paper charts the major points of debate since the 1960s and suggests that there are limitations as to what general practice can be expected to deliver in respect of primary care.
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Effective clinical practice in a hospital needs current knowledge together with the skills and right attitude; these should be applied continuously. Failure of this system can be due to ignorance or arrogance. ⋯ The policies related to the following: intensive care (including asthma, nutrition and organ donation), drug prescribing and resuscitation. We believe that these rules improved patient care and the standards of training; the prescribing policy also saved money.