Employment relations in small service organizations: The case of general practice Available to Purchase

The changes brought about by the new professional contract (1990) and the NHS reforms of 1991 are creating larger general practices which increasingly are seen as ‐ and see themselves as ‐ small businesses. As such the performance of practices will depend in part on their being able to manage employment relations effectively. Explores the nature of the employment relationship in general practice and reports the findings of a national survey of staff management procedures. While size is shown to have an important influence on structural arrangements, concludes that the future pattern of employment relations will crucially depend on the development of the management role in general practice and its articulation with established interests inside and outside the practices.