BMJ 1994;308:993-994 (16 April)

Editorials

Skill mix in primary care

Subjects that breed euphemisms are usually contentious, and skill mix (reprofiling, grade mix, and multiskilling) is no exception. In her recent review of the topic, Leone Ridsdale has provided us with a much needed synopsis of the debate.1

The pursuit of skill mix in the new NHS has divided managers and health care professionals. With staffing accounting for 70% of NHS spending and managers under pressure to cut costs, the attractions of giving tasks to the lowest grades of staff who can perform them are obvious. In such an environment professionals fear the gradual erosion of the quality of care2,3 and trade unions see the spectre of redundancy.4 The debate over skill mix has heightened the belief among health professionals that managers do not understand the complexity of their knowledge and skill.5

The dangerously simplistic approach of the NHS Value for Money Unit's report Skill Mix in District Nursing did . . . [Full text of this article]


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Relevant Article

Skill mix in primary care
R Bhopal
BMJ 1994 309: 195-196. [Extract] [Full Text]

This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Neuberger, J. (1998). Primary care: core values Patients' priorities. BMJ 317: 260-262 [Full text]  
  • Higgins, P. (1996). The nursing profession - a changing role in a changing world. The Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health 116: 51-56  
  • Bhopal, R (1994). Skill mix in primary care. BMJ 309: 195b-196 [Full text]  
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