General Practices, also known as GP surgeries or clinics, are usually the first point of contact for people seeking medical help and guidance, offering 10–15-minute consultations and a range of essential, additional and enhanced healthcare services.

General Practices are community-orientated, providing ‘patient-focused’ services which strengthen ‘continuity of care,’ including management of both acute and chronic health conditions, medication prescription, medical record keeping, and onward referral to specialists, hospitals, and other secondary care and community healthcare providers.

The General Practice workforce contributes enormously to health education and preventative health care, and GP services help to reduce the overall demand for hospital care and resources. With technological advances, government funding, and the ongoing need for comprehensive primary healthcare in the community, the GP sector in the UK will continue to grow and respond, offering rewarding professions and career development opportunities.

GP Registrars, also known as GP trainees, are qualified doctors who are undertaking GP Specialty Training (GPST). They spend two years working in a hospital before training in a GP practice. They are supervised and supported by a senior GP or trainer. They work directly with patients, providing medical care and consultation, and they are important members of the general practice healthcare team.