British out-of-hours primary and community care: a review of the literature.

Purpose: This out-of-hours primary and community care services (more recently called unscheduled care) literature review sets out to build on the foundations set by earlier publications by examining old and fresh issues after the new General Medical Service contract was implemented in 2004.

Design/methodology/approach: Almost 140 publications were located, including a range of theoretical and empirical publications.

Findings: A total of seven themes emerge--varying from the most frequently discussed (service nature and value) to the least examined (information management and technology).

Originality/value: Analysis not only underlines service problems and tensions noted previously but also generates new insights, which cannot be ignored if services are to be developed. Consequently, several recommendations are made.