ABSTRACT
The creation of an internal market within the National Health Service and the consequent development of the concept of ‘GP fundholding’ has thrust primary care organisations into a purchasing role. As such practices have been confronted by the need to develop their purchasing function. Yet in spite of the inexperience of these organisations in terms of purchasing, little guidance was provided to assist fundholding practices in developing the requisite expertise and organisational structures [Laing and Cotton, 1995]. By drawing on the concept of the buying group or buying centre originally developed by Robinson, Farris and Wind [1967], this paper maps the operation of the purchasing function within primary care organisations with particular reference to the dynamics of interaction between clinicians, managers and patients in such emergent purchasing structures. For those organisations selling products and services to primary care organisations, such as NHS Trusts and pharmaceutical companies, understanding the structure and dynamics of buying groups within primary care organisations is critical to the effectiveness of their marketing activities. At a conceptual level, by adopting a micro level organisational perspective within one specific sectoral setting, and building on existing research into the operation of buying centres, this paper seeks to advance current understanding of the dynamics and power relationships within buying groups.
