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The use of locum doctors in the UK National Health System (NHS): understanding and improving the safety and quality of care
Safe People
University of Manchester
Academic Institute
Kieran Walshe - Chief Investigator - University of ManchesterChristos Grigoroglou - Corresponding Applicant - University of ManchesterDarren Ashcroft - Collaborator - University of ManchesterEvangelos Kontopantelis - Collaborator - University of ManchesterGemma Stringer - Collaborator - Not from an OrganisationJane Ferguson - Collaborator - University of ManchesterThomas Allen - Collaborator - University of Manchester
Safe Projects
CPRD467
The optimal and effective organisation of primary care resources in the NHS requires information on performance and associated costs of the different types of doctors who are employed in the NHS. However, the lack of evidence on performance for particular types of GP doctors has led to concerns among policymakers and professional associations about the quality of provision of primary care services and patient safety. Very little research has been done about how and when locum doctors are used in primary care, or if their use can influence quality and safety.
The aim of the study will be to collect and analyse quantitative data sets to compare the working patterns and performance of locums to those of other GP types in primary care. We will use the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) to access anonymised general practice records on all registered patients, including diagnoses, tests, prescribed treatments and referrals. We will obtain data on each patient’s interaction with a health professional and the staff role field will be used to identify GP types (partner, salaried, or locum) involved in any recorded interaction. This will be our key parameter of interest and we will evaluate its association with patient outcomes. A cross sectional analysis will be conducted for each financial year for the period 2015-2021 to explore the associations between staff role and patient outcomes at the patient level. Moreover, our cohort study is eligible for linkage to Hospital Episodes Statistics (HES) data and this will allow us to obtain detailed information on any form of hospital attendance for all patients in the practices that participate in the linkage scheme.
24/03/2021
Safe Data
2011 Rural-Urban Classification at LSOA level
HES Accident and Emergency
HES Admitted Patient Care
HES Outpatient
ONS Death Registration Data
Patient Level Index of Multiple Deprivation
Practice Level Index of Multiple Deprivation
Safe Setting
Release