Taking the lead in fundholding.

The prevalence of rather negative, or at best mixed, attitudes of doctors towards participation in management has been reported in several previous research studies. This paper adds to that growing empirical literature, but complements most of the previous studies by focusing on general medical practitioners in primary care rather than on doctors in secondary care settings. The focus for the study were doctors who had agreed to undertake the lead partner role in the now-defunct general practitioner fundholding initiative within the UK National Health Service. The findings indicate widespread reluctance but the presence of a minority of enthusiasts, which resonates with previous studies of secondary care settings. A finding of potential significance for future research and practice was that some doctors who were initially reluctant became more keen on undertaking a management role once they had experienced it.