Understanding continuity of care in extended access primary care
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Understanding continuity of care in primary care extended access hubs
IRAS ID
293894
Contact name
Patrick Burch
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Manchester
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 18 days
Research summary
Background
When patients experience care that is joined up and consistent, it is known as ‘continuity of care’. This has been linked to better outcomes. Traditionally, continuity has been viewed as patients seeing the same doctor. However, other factors are now viewed to be important, including staff having access to the necessary information about each patient, and services working together.In order to fulfil a government policy of allowing patients to see a GP in the evenings and at weekends, patients in many locations are being offered routine GP appointments away from their own practice in “extended access hubs”. Most patients attending the hubs are unlikely to see a GP that they know. However, we do not know the impact of this upon a patient’s experience of continuity. There is no clear picture about how hubs are ensuring that GPs have the required patient information, or how links are being made back to the patient’s own practice
Aims
To understand how extended access hubs provide (or do not provide) continuity for patients. The secondary aim is to understand how the various factors which come together to create the experience of continuity (e.g. staff, location, healthcare information) interact with one another, and how this affects patients and the care they receive.The study
Is funded by THIS Institute. The main part of the study will take place at two seperate extended access hubs in the north of England/the Midlands. Data collection will consist of observing doctors and nurses working in the hubs and consulting with patients. Interviews with patients and clinicians will be carried out. Interviews and observations will take place over a period of approximately 4 months. The analysis stage will pull together the evidence from the sources listed above to address the aims.REC name
North West - Greater Manchester East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/NW/0217
Date of REC Opinion
26 Aug 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion