Health bulletin
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Out of hours care in the UK has undergone radical changes in the past five years, with a rapid increase in the number of general practitioner co-operatives operating from primary care centres. Patients wishing to see a general practitioner outwith normal surgery hours can now be asked to attend a centre, be given telephone advice or may still receive a home visit if required. ⋯ In particular, little is known about the continuing role of the single handed general practitioner or about out of hours care in small towns and in rural areas. The need for these issues to be addressed is discussed and the aims of the current Scottish study comparing different models of out of hours care outlined.
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To examine the trends in childhood injury mortality in Scotland between 1981 and 1995. ⋯ Childhood injury mortality rates have declined in Scotland, affecting all injury causes. The analysis of injury mortality rates in the population is helpful in highlighting potential environmental hazards that result in injury and in monitoring progress towards the achievement of national and local targets.