RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Regional variation in practitioner employment in general practices in England: a comparative analysis
JF British Journal of General Practice
JO Br J Gen Pract
FD British Journal of General Practice
SP e164
OP e171
DO 10.3399/bjgp20X708185
VO 70
IS 692
A1 Sharon Spooner
A1 Jon Gibson
A1 Kath Checkland
A1 Anne McBride
A1 Damian E Hodgson
A1 Mark Hann
A1 Imelda McDermott
A1 Matt Sutton
YR 2020
UL http://bjgp.org/content/70/692/e164.abstract
AB Background In recent years, UK health policy makers have responded to a GP shortage by introducing measures to support increased healthcare delivery by practitioners from a wider range of backgrounds.Aim To ascertain the composition of the primary care workforce in England at a time when policy changes affecting deployment of different practitioner types are being introduced.Design and setting This study was a comparative analysis of workforce data reported to NHS Digital by GP practices in England.Method Statistics are reported using practice-level data from the NHS Digital June 2019 data extract. Because of the role played by Health Education England (HEE) in training and increasing the skills of a healthcare workforce that meets the needs of each region, the analysis compares average workforce composition across the 13 HEE regions in EnglandResults The workforce participation in terms of full-time equivalent of each staff group across HEE regions demonstrates regional variation. Differences persist when expressed as mean full-time equivalent per thousand patients. Despite policy changes, most workers are employed in long-established primary care roles, with only a small proportion of newer types of practitioner, such as pharmacists, paramedics, physiotherapists, and physician associates.Conclusion This study provides analysis of a more detailed and complete primary care workforce dataset than has previously been available in England. In describing the workforce composition at this time, the study provides a foundation for future comparative analyses of changing practitioner deployment before the introduction of primary care networks, and for evaluating outcomes and costs that may be associated with these changes.