A survey of postgraduate education programmes and research interests of GPs in community trusts in an inner city area.

Following discussions with medical lecturers in a postgraduate centre, a questionnaire was sent to all the general practitioners (GPs) in three selected Community Trusts in an inner city area. Besides their qualifications and research interests, the GPs were asked for their views on continuing education. The results showed that opportunities for collaborative education with other members of the primary care groups (PCGs) would be possible if it focused on research methods and 'Health of the Nation' targets. The results showed that up to 61% of the GPs who responded had carried out research and had collaborated with nurses on the research projects. There was considerable variation across the Community Trusts in relation to the experience and interests of the GPs. The formation of the PCGs and joint commissioning offered an excellent opportunity for both collaborative educational opportunities and research. As the interests of the GPs is so diverse, some thought about consolidating and harnessing their interests and expertise in order to influence local and national research agendas may be of value.