title: General practice. All in a day's work.
abstract: Establishing a first-contact team of two practice nurses and a GP has enabled a general practice to offer same-day access for any patient who wants it. The team provides morning and afternoon sessions five days a week, seeing an average of 45 patients per session. Most conditions seen by the team are self-limiting. The service has freed up GPs to spend more time with patients who have booked an appointment, allowing them to give each patient a minimum of 10 minutes. The first-contact team service has been welcomed by patients.
authors.affiliation: Albany House Medical Centre, Wellingborough.
authors.forename: Glynis
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Buckle
authors.forename: Derek
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gallen
mesh_terms: D001071:Appointments and Schedules; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D005194:Family Practice / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D009722:Nurse Practitioners; D010348:Patient Care Team; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D017748:Time Management; D006113:United Kingdom