Primary care. Running on empty

There has been a management vacuum in primary care since the beginning of the NHS, but it has been disguised by the stability of the area and the dominance of the acute sector in the public's mind. Health authorities are now responsible for implementing a highly ambitious policy in a field where they have little power few skills and no extra resources. To be successful, a primary care policy requires greater management capacity on the part of health authorities support from GPs and merged general medical services and hospital and community health services budgets.