Understanding the challenges of GP services and Primary Care is vital for your
Medical School interview, because you may be asked about this. This guide highlights everything you need to know about this
hot topic – including some example
interview questions you could be asked.
Primary Care vs Secondary Care
Primary care is often described as the “front door” of the NHS. It includes general practice (GP), community pharmacy, dentistry and optometry, and provides diagnosis, treatment, prevention and management of many health conditions. The modern GP role involves not only diagnosing and treating patients but also coordinating care and working as part of this wider multidisciplinary team.
On the other hand, secondary care provides specialist services, usually following a referral from primary care, and includes specialists. For example, a GP may refer a patient to a hospital consultant for specialist assessment or treatment.
These two parts of the NHS are closely connected. Effective and timely communication and referrals between primary and secondary care are therefore important for safe, coordinated patient care, whilst pressure in one area can create pressure elsewhere.
GP And Primary Care Issues
Some of the most important issues associated with GP services and Primary Care are:
Solutions For GP Services And Primary Care
One of the biggest solutions is to hire more GPs, but it isn’t that simple. Medical students are being encouraged to consider this career path in a few ways:
- Challenging Misconceptions About General Practice. Medical Schools are trying to correct misconceptions about general practice and encouraging more students to think about the role.
- Recruiting and retaining GPs. The 2026/27 GP contract introduced £292 million in funding to help practices recruit additional GPs or increase the number of sessions worked by existing GPs, supporting capacity and access to appointments.
- Primary Care Networks (PCNs). There are around 1,250 PCNs in England, with over 99% of general practices participating. They enable GP practices to work with the community, pharmacies, social care, and other services to provide more coordinated care.
- More flexible workforce funding. The 2026/27 GP contract allows Primary Care Networks to use funding to recruit a wider range of GPs and other healthcare professionals, giving practices more flexibility to fill staffing gaps and meet local patient needs.
- Digital solutions. Telephone triage, online consultations and video consultations give patients different ways to access care. In February 2026, GP practices received 8.6 million online consultation submissions, demonstrating how digital services are becoming an increasingly important part of general practice.
- Prevention and early intervention. GPs play an important role in vaccination, screening and helping patients manage long-term conditions. In the 2025/26 flu vaccination season, more than 18.8 million GP-registered patients in England received a flu vaccine, helping protect vulnerable groups from serious illness.
Interview Questions About GPs And Primary Care
You could be asked about this topic at interview, with questions like:
- What consequences does the increased demand on GP services have on the NHS?
- Can you give me some reasons behind the increased pressure on Primary Care services?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of multidisciplinary teams in general practice?
- How could digital technology improve access to primary care?
- What is a Primary Care Network, and why might it be useful?
- What is meant by “neighbourhood health”?
- Why might the NHS want to move more care from hospitals into the community?
- What are the potential disadvantages of moving towards more digital primary care?
You can learn how to answer these in our free Interview Question Bank which has over 100 questions and answer guides.
