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- Page navigation anchor for Sustainability and Transformation Plans: occupational therapists and physiotherapists can support GPsSustainability and Transformation Plans: occupational therapists and physiotherapists can support GPsThe need for more primary care treatment capacity combined with a significant shortage of GPs is a major problem for health care systems in many countries - and raises much debate. 1It is not obvious how our health care systems best respond to this problem. Some have pointed to the use of extended scope health care professionals as a possible solution.2 In the eLetter by Brooks, Milligan, and White, they recommend specialist, direct-access, 7-day, integrated, primary care occupational therapy and physiotherapy service to reduce pressure on GPs, reduce referral to secondary care, enhancing timely hospital discharge, and keep people independently at home.However, creating new health care service paths may lead to fragmentation of health care and uncoordinated and overall inefficient service. An alternative strategy may be to increase the capacity in existing structures including general practice clinics e.g. by further incorporating extended scope professionals and other staff into the clinics. Still, there is a shortage of evidence to support which strategies to pursue. We need to consider both the perspectives of 1) patients’ preferences, 2) organizational aspects, 3) health economics, and 4) clinical effectiveness, when we eventually decide how to increase capacity in primary care. Therefore, to support rational decision-making on these pressing matters, we need high quality studies that systematically explore...Show MoreCompeting Interests: None declared.