Identifying policies and strategies for general practitioner retention in direct patient care in the United Kingdom: a RAND/UCLA appropriateness method panel study

Table 2 Summary of the topic areas of policies and strategies presented to the RAM Panel

Implementation level	N policies & strategies	N tested for sub-groups	Sub-groupings^a	N statements
National/regional level
1. Supporting areas based on ‘at risk of GP shortages’ status within the next 5 years	10	2	Implementation mode	12
2. Encouraging growth of new GP practices & systems	5	1	Practice setting	6
3. Marketing-based interventions & publicity campaigns	3	0	-	3
GP Practice level
4. Focussing on GP returners	3	1	Implementation mode	4
5. Flexible working and managed exits	6	0	-	6
6. Human resources management for GPs	5	5	Practice setting	10
GP level
7. Health and wellbeing	3	3	Pensionable status	9
8. Professional support	3	1, 3	Implementation mode, Pensionable status	8
9. Support for portfolio working	4	1, 4	Implementation mode, Pensionable status	15
10. Employment, contracts and transition	6	6	Pensionable status, GP returners	18
11. Additional support for GPs nearing retirement	6	1	GP role	9
TOTAL	54			100

^aImplementation mode = ‘compulsory’ or ‘optional’; practice setting = ‘all practices’ or ‘practices operating in traditionally “hard to recruit” areas; pensionable status = ‘all GPs’, ‘GPs nearing retirement age and who could take their pension’ or ‘GPs not nearing retirement age and could not take their pension’; GP role = ‘GPs who have not encountered any concerns in the previous revalidation or appraisal processes’ or ‘GPs who would like to work with a specified and limited scope of practice’; GP returners = ‘GPs returning to practice’, or ‘newly qualified GPs’

ISSN: 2731-4553