New opportunities for nurses and other healthcare professionals? A review of the potential impact of the new GMS contract on the primary care workforce.
OBJECTIVE
The paper seeks to show that the new General Medical Services (GMS) contract will provide opportunities for NHS staff to enhance their roles, so it is important that adequate training assessment and quality control systems are set in place. This paper assesses the implications for NHS staff in primary care.


METHODS
In this paper a review of policy documents was undertaken.


RESULTS
The paper finds that enhanced services set out in the new GMS contract may be provided by primary care organisations and healthcare professionals other than those located in general practitioner (GP) practices. As nurses and other healthcare professionals take on tasks previously conducted by GPs, so GPs will take on more consultant tasks previously confined to secondary care. Personal Medical Services (PMS) and GMS are converging in their contractual obligations and the opportunities offered to staff. As well as General Practitioners with Special Interests (GPwSIs), Practitioners with Special Interests (PwSIs) are important developments, which could promote recruitment and retention in the nursing and allied health professional workforce. Nurses and other healthcare professionals will be the main source of staffing for services shifted from secondary care.


CONCLUSIONS
The paper shows that it will be important to identify whether these professionals can substitute for GPs, the boundaries to that substitution, and whether recruitment and retention are enhanced. Training for GPwSIs and PwSIs will be introduced or expanded but also needs accreditation and validation.


CONCLUSIONS
The paper provides an overview of the implications of the new GMS contract for nurses and other NHS professionals.
Leese
Brenda
B
Centre for Research in Primary Care, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK. b.leese@leeds.ac.uk
D000328:Adult; D002322:Career Mobility; D003284:Contract Services / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000639:trends; D005194:Family Practice / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009722:Nurse Practitioners; D024802:Nurse's Role; D010823:Physician Assistants; D010821:Physicians, Family; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000639:trends; D011364:Professional Practice / Q000639:trends; D024382:Professional Role; D012922:Social Change; D013222:State Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000639:trends; D000078329:Workforce; D016526:Workload