Catalogue description General Medical Practitioners' Workload Survey 1992-1993: Dataset

Hardware: Originally held by the Department of Health on networked PCs.

Operating System: Windows XP

Application Software: The dataset transferred to NDAD was received in comma separated format having been exported from Oracle version 9i. Information provided by the Department of Health and the closure report on Phase 3 (validation and data input) indicates that the data was originally input to a system called ABADAS Natural. The control system used to manage the issue and tracking of survey forms was developed in Paradox.

Logical structure and schema: The 1992-93 GMP Workload Survey dataset comprises four tables. Two contain data used to compile the interim findings of the survey and cover the first seven to eight months of its operation from the start on 30 November 1992. The remaining two tables contain the full survey covering its year of operation from 30 November 1992 - 29 November 1993. The survey gathered data in three parts, diary sheets in which the GPs logged their activities in half hour intervals through the week in which they participated in the survey, general information about the practice and details of staff employed by the practice. Two tables (gms_1993_diary and gms_1994_diary) contain the data gathered from the diary sheets and two contain practice and staffing details (GMS_DETAIL_1993 and GMS_DETAIL_1994).

How data was originally captured and validated: The survey sample was drawn from the bi-annual census of GPs taken on 1 April 1992. It was stratified according to the number of hours contracted to work, partnership list size and age of the GP. A supplementary sample of approximately 750 was selected to top up the main sample in cases where doctors chosen for the main sample were found to have left general practice by the time of their survey week. Survey forms were sent out to the GPs around six weeks before the first day of their survey week. On receipt of the forms they were asked to return an acceptance form indicating their willingness to participate in the survey. If the acceptance form was not returned the survey unit contacted individual GPs by telephone to ask them to participate. A reminder letter was sent out one week before the survey week. It was intended that the forms be returned a week after the survey week. The Survey unit would again follow up with a reminder phone call if the forms were not received after two weeks. Once the forms were received by the survey unit manual validation checks were carried out before the forms were despatched to be keyed in to survey database.

The 1992/93 General Medical Practitioners (GMP) Workload Survey was the third in a series commissioned by the Doctors' and Dentists' Review Body (DDRB) to assist in the process of reviewing General Practitioners' (GP) annual salary increases. The first survey took place between July 1985 and July 1986 and the second between April 1989 and April 1990; the results of the earlier surveys were published but the survey data was not retained by the Department of Health. The 1992/93 workload survey was commissioned by the DDRB with the aim of determining whether significant changes had occurred in the general pattern of GP workload since the introduction of new GP contracts in 1990. By carrying out the survey it was hoped to compare the 1989-90 and 1992-93 surveys to test the hypothesis that since the introduction of the new contract there had been a significant increase in hours worked which had already been matched by increased remuneration.