Skill mix in primary care: the scale and distribution of skill mix in GP practice across England

Abstract

BackgroundDecades of under investment in primary care and inattention to suboptimal recruitment and retention of GPs and nurses have contributed to a workforce crisis. The General Practice Forward View sets out how the government is planning to achieve a strengthened model of general practice. A key element of this proposal is to expand the workforce by employing an increasingly diverse range of practitioners i.e. ‘skill mix’. The commitment to broadening skill mix in primary care is reiterated in the NHS Long Term Plan (LTP), with the announcement of a 5-year deal to boost investment in primary care. A significant proportion of this investment focuses on increasing the number of ‘new’ roles such as clinical pharmacists, physiotherapists, physician associates, and paramedics.AimThis presentation offers an early analysis of the scale and distribution of current skill mix in general practice across England. This is part of a wider study about how skill mix is affecting outcomes, costs, and experiences of healthcare in England.MethodDescriptive analysis of a longitudinal practice-level workforce data set using the practice-level workforce Minimum Data Set (wMDS).ResultsWe will present early findings about how staffing has changed and average changes within a region or a clinical commissioning group.ConclusionThese data will indicate the extent of progress towards achievement of the LTP vision of skill mix employment. Findings will inform our future analysis of the structures, contexts, and processes of these new ways of working and provide policymakers, commissioners, and practices with evidence about the wider effects of skill mix.