The Quality and Outcomes Framework has deeply divided UK general practitioners. I commend this book and applaud its determination to scrutinise every aspect of the Quality and Outcomes Framework - good and bad and in-between. - From the Foreword by Iona Heath General practice in the UK faces transformation following the introduction of the Quality & Outcomes Framework (QOF), a pay-for-performance scheme unprecedented in the NHS, and the most comprehensive scheme of its kind in the world. Champions claim the QOF advances the quality of primary care; detractors fear the end of general practice as we know it. The introduction of the QOF provides a unique opportunity for research, analysis and reflection. This book is the first comprehensive analysis of the impact of the QOF, examining the claims and counter-claims in depth through the experience of those delivering QOF, comparisons with other countries, and analysis of the wealth of research evidence emerging. Assessments of the true impact of QOF will influence the development of health services in the UK and beyond. This book is essential reading for anyone with an interest in the future of general practice and primary care, including health professionals, trainers, students, MRCGP candidates and researchers, managers, and policy-makers and shapers.

This accessible text covers the entirety of General Practice and the General Practitioner, from student to retirement and from the beginning of the NHS to the present day. It provides a comprehensive historical overview representing both academic and front-line perspectives, describing what has changed, beneficial or otherwise, as the specialty has evolved. The details within each chapter represent the views of the average working British GP and illustrate how the changes over the decades have impacted patient care and its delivery. The perspective often differs from that which prevails in many academic tomes on the subject. The topics covered, from the primary care team, changes to out-of-hours provision, the impact of IT, training, and regulation, to the future of General Practice, will be essential reading for all doctors considering a career in the specialty and will also be of interest to GP vocational training scheme course organisers and trainers, overseas medical educators and healthcare policy makers, social and medical historians, and the general public.

This innovative and timely book draws on pioneering precedents, basic principles, current examples and international experience to capture the narratives, examples and ideas that underlie and demonstrate the exceptional potential of general practice: "If health care is not at is best where it is needed most, health inequalities will widen." "The unworried unwell are not hard to reach but they are easy to ignore and are often ignored." "With patient contact, population coverage, continuity, coordination, flexibility, long term relationships and trust, general practices are the natural hubs of local health systems." "... practitioners ... are not only scientists but also responsible citizens and if they did not raise their voice who else should?" Written for family doctors looking to strengthen local collaboration, it brings together the traditional strengths of consultations, caring, continuity, coordination and coverage with the current and future challenges of building capacity, community, creativity, consistency, collegiality and campaigning. It highlights the critical importance of working with patients, maximising the use of serial encounters, integrating care, joint working between practices, social prescribing, community development and advocacy based on patient and practitioner experience. Drawing on the highly-regarded work of Deep End GPs serving the poorest communities in Scotland ̶ www.gla.ac.uk/deepend ̶ the book is an invaluable handbook for all primary care doctors, irrespective of health care system or country, seeking to provide unconditional continuity of personalised care for all patients, whatever problem or combination of problems a patient may have.

This is a history of general practice under the National Health Service, covering the whole of the first 50 years, from 1948 to the present.

Dispensaries were created in cities to look after poor sick people from about 1770 until the beginning of the NHS in 1948. They were created by relatively wealthy citizens who became subscribers to these institutions. They saw this as an act of philanthropy, and each subscriber was given a book of tickets that could be given to sick people to enable them to access the dispensary. Many doctors gave their services to the dispensaries freely, but an apothecary or, later on, a medical officer was employed in addition to run the dispensary and to visit the sick in their homes if they were unable to visit the dispensary. This is the first book to have been written that gives an overview of the creation of dispensaries and the reason they totally disappeared in 1948, although there are several booklets describing individual dispensaries. The dispensary system was supported by the majority report of the Royal Commission on the Poor Law in 1909 but rejected on questionable grounds by the Minority Report upon which our welfare state has been based. Currently, the NHS is in crisis, and this book about a former health-care system suggests ways in which our health service could be remodelled for the better.

This book helps doctors to improve their chances of getting the highly sought-after specialty training post. It is a wide-ranging, accessible guide to the application process covering every step, from online application to the selection panel.

This is the first book to explore the impact of 'burnout' on the current NHS GP workforce and how this can be addressed, from an insider GP perspective. Adam Staten, recently qualified GP, and Euan Lawson, Fellow of the RCGP with over 20 years experience, discuss in engaging, accessible chapters how burnout manifests psychologically, the complex reasons why GPs burn out and the individual and broader impact this can have. Most importantly, the book offers practical advice on how to avoid burning out and combat the negative effects of an increasingly high-pressure role, exploring how GPs can develop resilience and work in a way that builds a healthier work-life balance. A section is dedicated to the array of GP job options, with testimonies from practitioners working in diverse areas from education and academia to military and humanitarian settings. This book explores the challenges of working in general practice today, but it also demonstrates the potential for every GP to experience a personally and professionally satisfying career. Providing practical, workable advice and links to resources for help and support, the book enables readers to find opportunity within the perceived 'crisis'. By reading this book, you will find the means to improve not just your own working life but also to enhance the way you deliver care to your patients.