ABSTRACT
Many HAs indicated that they were in the process of developing a more rigorous approach to the monitoring of quality within general practice. The HA did not indicate whether they have developed a district-wide scheme for standards in general practice, although they stated that they were looking to the Health Services Accreditation primary care programme as a means to develop primary care services. HA practice visits were frequently mentioned as a prominent means to assess the provision of general practice-based care. Northamptonshire HA has developed a number of initiatives with the aim of improving the quality of general practice. Northumberland HA have introduced a practice accreditation programme to develop the principles of national accreditation programmes in a local framework. Despite the national emphasis on outcomes, a large proportion of standards and indicators still focuses on the contextual or process aspects of care provision, rather than looking at the direct professional/patient interaction or detailed outcomes for specific treatments.
