ABSTRACT
There are about 10 000 practices throughout the UK, varying in size from single-handed GPs with as few as 1000 patients through to group practices of more than ten doctors with perhaps as many as 25 000 patients. Data from the Department of Health’s Statistics for General Medical Practitioners indicates that in 1998 the average English general practice had about four partners, and that the average list size for a full-time partner was 1979 patients. Therefore the average English practice had nearly 8000 patients. (In Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, individual list and practice sizes tend to be lower.)
Practices in large conurbations tend to be smaller. This means that in Sheffield in 1997 the average list size was 5428 patients. The tables that follow are, for simplicity, based on the Myrtle Road practice, an imaginary practice with 5000 patients and three full-time GPs. Activity rates are presented per year, per full working week, and per working weekday. The annual rate is also presented for 1000 patients since this is the way activity rates are conventionally presented in other publications.
