Its been nearly five months since the launch of the access component of our New Model of General Practice. In that time we have learned a great deal about some of the theories and practicalities involved in meeting population needs for primary care. Heres a quick dissection of the learning so far on one theory.

Theory One.
Stream work to ensure that productivity remains high. This concept involves separation of acute and routine work so clinicians remain in one mode of operation nd improve efficiency.
Learning Point
Streaming work by clinicians reduces access to routine appointments and can stretch individuals performance to concerning levels. e.g. we learned that after 24 phone consultations we stopped making good decisions in terms of when to see or not see patients.
Answer one
Limit number of phone calls per session to a safe, comfortable sixteen. Encourage clinicians to be aware of their own decision making processes. "Mindful consultations".