Specialists' and GPs' views of the advantages and disadvantages of the outreach clinic
| Specialists | GPs | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | (n) | % | (n) | ||||
| Advantages | |||||||
| Improves accessibility/convenience for patients | 100 | (18) | 95 | (54) | |||
| Reduces waiting times for patients to get appointments | 72 | (13) | 88 | (50) | |||
| Promotes goodwill | 67 | (12) | 54 | (31) | |||
| Improves communication between GPs and specialists | 61 | (11) | 74 | (42) | |||
| Improves access to outpatient clinics for NHS patients | 56 | (10) | 60 | (34) | |||
| Fewer non-attenders at outreach in comparison with outpatient clinics | 56 | (10) | 67 | (38) | |||
| To secure fundholder contracts for hospital | 56 | (10) | 7 | (4) | |||
| Improves specialists' job satisfaction | 22 | (4) | — | NA | |||
| Personal financial benefits for specialist | 22 | (4) | 5 | (3) | |||
| Broadening of GPs' skills | 11 | (2) | 44 | (25) | |||
| Improves access to private referrals | 6 | (1) | 2 | (1) | |||
| Having hospital notes | 6 | (1) | — | NA | |||
| Improves GPs' job satisfaction | — | NA | 49 | (28) | |||
| Cheaper service than outpatients | — | NA | 44 | (25) | |||
| Other advantages | 11 | (2) | 4 | (2) | |||
| No advantages | — | (0) | 2 | (1) | |||
| Disadvantages | |||||||
| Reduces specialist time in hospital (NHS) | 72 | (13) | 22 | (12) | |||
| Travelling time for specialist | 67 | (12) | — | NA | |||
| Reduces specialists' time for other work | 50 | (9) | — | NA | |||
| Inflexible/infrequent follow up intervals | 39 | (7) | 93 | (51) | |||
| Specialist having to bring hospital notes | 39 | (7) | — | NA | |||
| Reduces training time for junior hospital doctors | 39 | (7) | — | NA | |||
| Fewer patients seen per clinic than in outpatients | 28 | (5) | 11 | (6) | |||
| Not having hospital notes | 22 | (4) | 9 | (5) | |||
| Inadequate administrative back up in GPs' surgeries | 11 | (2) | — | NA | |||
| Increase in GPs' administrative costs/time | — | NA | 43 | (25) | |||
| Less time for GPs' other work | — | NA | 6 | (3) | |||
| Other disadvantages | 11 | (2) | 4 | (2) | |||
| No disadvantages | — | (0) | 27 | (15) | |||
| Number of respondents | 18 | 55–57 | |||||