The response of GP fundholders and practice managers to the reorganisation of primary care services

This article aims to answer a number of linked questions. The first involved a detailed recording of management behaviour and management skills as demonstrated within the General Practitioner Fundholding (GPFH) practice. The purpose for doing this was to determine whether or not GPFHs had acquired management skills, and whether or not these skills had been used to benefit primary care. If GPFHs demonstrated such skills, the second objective was to determine the use to which these skills would be put in the proposed reorganisation of primary care. In order to do this, we examined the proposed structure of primary care in Scotland, and asked GPFHs about the consultation process and their role in the proposed structure.