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General practice
This page introduces the medical career of general practitioner.
Introduction
General practitioners (GPs) work in the "primary care" sector - usually for primary care trusts (PCTs). PCTs are groups of primary care providers which may include several GP surgeries, a clinic and other healthcare professionals such as an optician or pharmacist.PCTs advise relevant health authorities on their purchasing of health care and are increasingly assuming the responsibility for the purchasing of healthcare from the secondary healthcare providers (acute/hospital and community/mental health trusts). In a shake-up in the way that health care funding is allocated, PCTs will in time, hold over 75% of the NHS budget, according to the Secretary of State speaking in April 2002.
General practice
General practice is an essential part of medical care in all countries. The general practitioner is the first point of contact for most medical services. The bulk of the work is carried out during consultations in the surgery and during home visits. General practice allows individual doctors a wide choice of where to practice, with whom and how.GPs provide a complete spectrum of care within the local community: dealing with problems that often combine physical, psychological and social components. They increasingly work in teams with other professions, helping patients to take responsibility for their own health.
They attend patients in surgery and primary care emergency centres if clinically necessary, visit their homes and will be aware of and take account of physical, psychological and social factors in looking after their patients.
GPs call on an extensive knowledge of medical conditions to be able to assess a problem and decide on the appropriate course of action. They know how and when to intervene, through treatment, prevention and education, to promote the health of their patients and families.
The wide mix of general practice is one of the major attractions. There can be huge variation in the needs of individual patients during a single surgery. No other specialty offers such a wide remit of treating everything from pregnant women to babies and from mental illness to sports medicine. Individual doctors may develop special interests in diverse areas. General practice gives the opportunity to prevent illness and not just treat it.
There are opportunities to become involved in hospital work (for example, as a clinical assistant), in education of those training to be general practitioners (course organisers and tutors) or in local issues (for example on Local Medical Committees or on the new Primary Care Groups).
Individual general practitioners can reach a relatively high income early in their career and it is one of the specialties most suited for part time and flexible working.
Most GPs are independent contractors to the NHS. This independence means that in most cases, they are responsible for providing adequate premises from which to practise and for employing their own staff.
Personal qualities should include:
- ability to care about patients and their relatives
- a commitment to providing high quality care
- awareness of ones own limitations
- ability to seek help when appropriate
- commitment to keeping up to date and improving quality of ones own performance
- appreciation of the value of team work
- clinical competence
- organisational ability
Further information
For further information on this specialty, please contact:Royal College of General Practitioners
14 Princes Gate
Hyde Park
London
SW7 1PU
Tel: 0207 581 3232
Email: info@rcgp.org.uk
Website: www.rcgp.org.uk
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