GENERAL-PRACTITIONERS AS PROVIDERS OF MINOR SURGERY - A SUCCESS STORY

Background. It is now recognized that many minor surgical procedures c an be appropriately performed in a general practitioner setting; the g overnment has introduced a list of minor operations, for which it is p repared to pay a limited fee, and it is now time to see whether this s ervice can be expanded. Aim. To demonstrate that a group of general pr actitioners (GPs) with a particular interest in minor surgery can offe r an expanded service both to their own patients and also to the patie nts of neighbouring colleagues, whether fundholding or non-fundholding , within a health authority area. Method. The West Kent Health Authori ty awarded a contract for 500 minor operations to a group practice of five GPs. At the end of the first year, 511 operations had been perfor med and the results and implications are discussed. Results. The targe t of 500 minor operations was met and passed in the first year. Thirty -five neighbouring GPs referred their patients directly. All were offe red an initial appointment within one week and had their operation per formed within one month, unless they had expressed a preference for an alternative date. Several unsuspected malignancies were discovered - no complications were recorded, patients' and referring doctors' satis faction was high and the scheme was judged to have been a success in t heir eyes. Conclusion. GPs can provide an efficient, cost-effective mi nor surgery service, which is popular with patients and referring coll eagues. Whether this is the way we wish to organize minor surgery in t he future needs further discussion.