ABSTRACT
From the beginning, the PDC project has sought to use comparative data to enable practitioners to better understand their situation, and learn from each other. As well as producing reports, we have organised occasional multi-disciplinary meetings of participating practices to discuss those reports. The title question for this chapter was put to two meetings in Sheffield in April 1998, involving in total 15 GPs, seven practice managers and one practice nurse. Participants had seen the data showing static GP surgery consultation rates. First of all they were asked whether they believed the data, and they did. The discussion that followed explored the seeming paradox of static consultation rates but a perceived rising workload. Three broad explanations were identified.
