Workforce substitution and primary care

We must preserve the elements of our health care system that work well

All the signals in health care in the Western world point towards increasing demand and limitations on supply — a development driven by ageing populations, ever-increasing and sophisticated technologies and treatments, and a workforce that is less inclined to work the long hours of years gone by. There have been calls from governments for more flexibility in health care delivery. In the case of primary care, the arguments for substituting “traditional” general practitioner roles seem compelling — primary care in the United Kingdom and Australia is struggling to provide adequate access to care for a population with increasing needs. Surely we must expand our workforce to meet this need — especially if this can be achieved by employing less expensive health care providers?