Handbook of Practice Management > Volume 71, Number 0 > Pp. 9-01-9-14

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9. Primary care organisation

Primary care is a term that is used freely within the NHS and yet it means different things to different people. Primary care is seen as the gateway to the NHS for the vast majority of the population, with secondary care, as its name suggests, providing specialist investigation, diagnosis and treatment. Of course this is simplistic but it does encompass what primary care is about.

One of the misconceptions is that primary care is general medical practice. It often seems within the NHS that the terms are almost interchangeable, but whilst it is true that general medical practice is the main provider of primary care services, it is not the only one.

This section looks at the role of Primary Care Organisations (PCOs), their responsibilities and working relationships. It is interspersed with my own views, as a manager within a PCO, to give an insight of how things seem looking out. The details refer to PCOs in England. PCOs in the other countries of the UK have somewhat different functions.

The work of many organisations, both those that are part of the NHS such as NICE and those outside it such as the GMC, is relevant to practices. We are continually adding information about important organisations.

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