Out of hours primary care: a critical overview of current knowledge

Out of hours care in the UK has undergone radical changes in the past five years, with a rapid increase in the number of general practitioner co-operatives operating from primary care centres. Patients wishing to see a general practitioner outwith normal surgery hours can now be asked to attend a centre, be given telephone advice or may still receive a home visit if required. This overview examines the current literature evaluating these changes. While there are now a number of studies examining general practitioner co-operatives and centres in both England and Scotland, there is little or no work on other forms of out of hours care. In particular, little is known about the continuing role of the single handed general practitioner or about out of hours care in small towns and in rural areas. The need for these issues to be addressed is discussed and the aims of the current Scottish study comparing different models of out of hours care outlined.