The practice annual report: post mortem or prescription?

While a minority of general practices have been producing annual reports for a number of years one of the implications of the government's new contract is that this process will become much more widespread. To date the majority of reports have concentrated on looking back at past activity rather than on looking forward. In this article a mechanism is outlined for turning the annual report into a vehicle for improving participation; for enabling performance review; and for providing direction for the future. Central to this process is the incorporation of a number of objectives into the report. Objectives should relate to the resources of the practice, the activities of the practice and the results which the practice hopes to achieve. Methods for deriving appropriate objectives are described.