GP out-of-hours working
Following a political drive to change the general practice contracts, a significant number of GPs begin working out of hours, which includes evenings and weekends. The promotion and publication of these changes leads to an increase in the number of people using GPs as the front door to the health service, resulting in a decrease in hospital attendances. The increased preventative activity provided by GPs reduces the number of people whose conditions would have become acute and therefore required hospital admission.
Proposed workforce impact
- There is a reduction in demand for acute medical care.
Sources or references
Additional research questions
- Are there enough GPs to provide an out-of-hours service with extensive geographical coverage?
Some of the information in this section is provided by stakeholders and expert groups, and does not necessarily represent the views of the CfWI.
