Human resource management in general practice: survey of current practice

Area of Science:

• Primary Health Care Management
• Human Resource Management in General Practice
• Organizational Structure of Medical Practices

Background:

• Government policies are driving changes in general practice organization and management.
• Expansion of primary health care services necessitates research into practice management, particularly staffing.
• Recruitment, retention, management, and motivation of practice managers remain under-researched areas.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify decision-makers for staffing matters in general practice.
• To assess the formalization and specialization of human resource management functions.
• To characterize the profiles of practice managers.

Main Methods:

• A postal questionnaire survey was distributed to 750 general practices in England and Wales.
• Data collected included practice characteristics (e.g., fundholding status, partner numbers) and staffing/HRM practices.
• Practices were categorized by size: small, medium, and large.

Main Results:

• Practice managers had limited independent decision-making authority, increasing with practice size.
• Formality in handling staffing matters (written policies) also increased with practice size.
• Larger practices were more likely to have additional management tiers and recruit managers from outside general practice; 75% of managers had formal staff management training.

Conclusions:

• Practice size is a key determinant of staffing organization and management in general practice.
• Initiatives expanding primary care services must consider communication and coordination challenges related to scale.
• The findings highlight the need for tailored HR strategies based on practice size.