Building bridges in palliative care: evaluating a GP Facilitator programme

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of the Macmillan GP Facilitator Programme in Palliative Care on the knowledge, attitudes and confidence in symptom control of general practitioners (GPs), communication with patients and out-of-hours practice. GP Facilitators work on average for two sessions a week with practices in their locality. The design included a before and after study, with geographical controls matched on type of area (inner city, urban and rural) and broadly on Jarman scores using postal questionnaires sent to GPs. Scores measured change in GP awareness, attitudes and practice over two years of the intervention, derived from Likert scale responses to the postal questionnaires. Although overall few significant results were found, we did identify an increase in the use of palliative care guidelines in Facilitator districts, together with an increase in awareness of day care. The programme was associated with increased positive attitudes towards specialist palliative care services and results suggested increased satisfaction with out-of-hours services for patients. No change was found for confidence in symptom control and communication over diagnosis with cancer patients was less than in control districts. The design also incorporated a qualitative component, and from this we found the Facilitator programme to be popular with local GPs who valued the support of a colleague who knew the demands and constraints of general practice. In conclusion, we have demonstrated an impact of the GP Facilitator programme on GP awareness of, use and increased positive attitudes towards specialist palliative care services. By improving communication between primary and specialist palliative care, the programme should contribute substantially to improved care of the dying at home.