HISTORY
The rise of academic general practice in the UK has been remarkable: from the first professor of general practice, Richard Scott in 1963, and a small academic discipline; to a vibrant community reflected through the Society for Academic Primary Care (SAPC), and a renewed commitment to world-leading research through the fourth round of investment in the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) School for Primary Care Research (SPCR) in England.1
Just as academic general care has evolved, the clinical services provided by health and care professionals in this setting have expanded. General practice is embedded within diverse primary care teams comprising of various professionals: GPs, advanced nurse practitioners, physician associates, clinical pharmacists, first contact practitioners, social workers, and paramedics to name some. In 2010, Howie warned for the need of a contemporary identity, for the scientific discipline of general practice to continue to make significant contributions moving forwards.2
CURRENT CONTEXT
Renamed as academic primary care to reflect the expansion of the clinical setting and intellectual work involved in the discipline; academic primary care delivers the scholarship (research and teaching) of community-based clinical practice: needed for excellent primary care. Primary care research is delivered in community settings mostly led by academic university departments, and primary care teaching occurs across university, NHS, and third-sector settings.
With the growth in the number of medical students, exposure and training in primary care remains essential in the training of tomorrow’s clinicians, and in encouraging future GP careers. The quality of primary care research is world leading;3,4 but the capacity of primary care academics, including GPs, remains of concern. With only a small increase in UK senior academic GPs from 224 full time equivalents (FTE) in 2015 to 254 …
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