Abstract
The
The Scottish School of Primary Care
Since its inception in 2000, the SSPC has established a reputation for research excellence, attracting new research funding to Scottish universities. The school aims to support the development of a sustainable, equitable, high-quality primary care service that meets the needs of the people of Scotland. Working towards this vision, the SSPC's current strategic objectives are to:
Inform key stakeholders by collating relevant available national and international evidence, as well as actively contributing to the growing evidence base
Support the continuing growth of academic primary care in Scotland
Promote Scottish academic primary care internationally.
The SSPC was created with the intention of increasing research capacity by facilitating collaboration across all of Scotland's University Departments of General Practice, investigating important aspects of general practice and primary care. It received core funding for several years from the Scottish Funding Council, the Chief Scientist Office (CSO), Scottish Council for Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education and its successor NHS Education for Scotland (NES), as well as from the Scottish Government.
In recent years, there has been a particularly strong focus on policy-related research and engagement with a wide range of stakeholders within Scotland and beyond. Scotland, like many countries, is facing complex healthcare issues relating to the ageing population and health inequalities in younger people, both of which are underpinned by increasing levels of multimorbidity. Integration of health and social care is high on the political agenda, as is the transformation of primary care. A new general practitioner (GP) contract is being negotiated in Scotland that will involve GP practices working together in clusters to improve local population health. Expanding the multidisciplinary team and training additional staff to take on some of the roles of GPs is expected to reduce GP workload, enabling them to spend more time with patients whose care is more challenging.
The school is currently funded by the Scottish Government to lead an evaluation of the many new models of primary care that are currently being tested throughout Scotland. This work also includes literature reviews and in-depth case studies. Several briefing papers have also been produced by academics within the school that summarize the evidence base around specific topics, assess whether – and how – the evidence has been implemented in Scotland, and suggest how the new GP Clusters could use this evidence to inform quality improvements in local healthcare.
The individual primary care academic groups within the six universities that make up the current membership of the SSPC still continue their own high-quality research agendas in primary care, with an increasing focus on multimorbidity and comorbidity, treatment burden, polypharmacy, early detection of cancer, and organization of care, including the role of nurses and allied healthcare professionals.
By forming a partnership with the
Journal of Comorbidity
The
Highlight comorbidity/multimorbidity as a fundamental component of overall patient care
Enhance the understanding of comorbidity/multimorbidity
Identify and fill gaps in the evidence on comorbidity/multimorbidity
Provide comprehensive guidance on preventing and managing comorbidity/multimorbidity
Promote the collaboration of multidisciplinary healthcare providers.
The journal publishes original clinical and experimental research articles, guidelines, policies, editorials, commentaries, protocols, and critical review articles, as well as proceedings of congresses. The Editorial Board also welcomes ideas and suggestions for special issues dedicated to unique themes.
The
Discounted article publication fee for SSPC members – the journal encourages members to consider publishing their relevant work in the journal
Opportunities for SSPC members to be involved with the journal
The Journal Editors welcome this new partnership and encourage other societies and networks to partner with the