General practice. All in a day's work

Establishing a first-contact team of two practice nurses and a GP has enabled a general practice to offer same-day access for any patient who wants it. The team provides morning and afternoon sessions five days a week, seeing an average of 45 patients per session. Most conditions seen by the team are self-limiting. The service has freed up GPs to spend more time with patients who have booked an appointment, allowing them to give each patient a minimum of 10 minutes. The first-contact team service has been welcomed by patients.