Does Advanced Access work for patients

FAST access to care when it is needed is one of the hall-marks of a high quality healthcare system, but achieving this in an equitable fashion has long been a problem in the United Kingdom (UK), as in most other countries. Improving access to care is now a top priority for UK health policy. The NHS plan sets a target that by the end of 2004 all patients should be able to see a primary care professional within 24 hours and a general practitioner within 48 hours.1 To support this objective, the government created a primary care access fund of £168 million, of which at least £48 million was dedicated to improving access to primary care. Each primary care trust (PCT) received funding for 2 years to employ a primary care access facilitator, supported by the National Primary Care Development Team (NPDT) within successive waves of a primary care collaborative. The organisational model strongly promoted by the NPDT is that of Advanced Access.2,3 Advanced Access is based on five principles: understand