Integrating undergraduate and postgraduate education in general practice: experience in Tayside

Several forces have resulted in the creation in Tayside of the first formally integrated unit of undergraduate and postgraduate education in general practice in the United Kingdom. Forces that helped this integration included the desire for change, national developments in education, financial support through funds set aside to cover the additional cost of teaching, and a management structure which concentrates on shared leadership. Forces that hindered the integration included uneasiness about ideas for reforming traditional structures, institutional inertia, the complexity of financial arrangements, and tensions over priorities. The experience of managing institutional changes in Tayside has been invaluable and will lead to a more cohesive approach to undergraduate teaching, postgraduate training, and the provision of services relevant to the development of general practice.