Decline in NHS beds increases pressure on GPs

Decline in NHS beds increases pressure on GPs

Empirical evidence supports claims that declining NHS long term provision for elderly people has increased general practitioners' workload. On p 322, Kavanagh and Knapp show that, because peoplecared for in NHS inpatient beds in 1986 had significantly moremorbidity and disability than people in residential and nursinghomes at that time, their predicted use of general practitionerswas also significantly greater (equivalent to 160 additional generalpractitioners in Britain today). The roles of general practitionersas independent contractors and of primary care groups in caringfor residential and nursing home residents need to be clarifiedand developed.

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The impact on general practitioners of the changing balance of care for elderly people living in institutions: Shane Kavanagh and Martin Knapp
BMJ 1998 317: 322-327. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]