Shifting services from secondary to primary care: stakeholders' views of the barriers.
OBJECTIVE
To identify the barriers to shifting services from secondary to primary care perceived by the involved stakeholders.


METHODS
Forty-five semi-structured interviews with stakeholders from primary care, acute and community hospitals, purchasers (health authorities) and other agencies involved in two contrasting initiatives to shift services.


RESULTS
Stakeholders perceived similar barriers in the two initiatives: disinvesting from existing providers; lack of information on activity and costs; uncertainty over the quality of the proposed alternative service; concern about an increasing workload in primary care; diversity of views within primary care; difficulties in communication between the many agencies involved; and lack of leadership by purchasers.


CONCLUSIONS
Service shifts which involve disinvestment from existing providers and collaboration between agencies with different views and interests will inevitably face a range of barriers. Attempts to shift services by disinvesting from secondary care are likely to encounter the greatest difficulties. Attempts to shift without concomitant disinvestment may also be slow because of the difficulties of multi-agency collaboration. Frustration will be reduced if those involved have a realistic understanding of the difficulties rather than being surprised and overwhelmed by them.
O'Cathain
A
A
Medical Care Research Unit, School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield.
Musson
G
G
Munro
J
J
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002017:Budgets; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D005194:Family Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000458:organization & administration; D006764:Hospitals, Community / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007449:Investments; D007857:Leadership; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006113:United Kingdom; D016526:Workload