Health care units: an extended alternative to the Cumberlege proposals.

The proposals of the Cumberlege report are reviewed as they relate to general practitioners and the effectiveness of the primary health care team. An alternative proposal is described which uses combined general practitioner lists rather than a neighbourhood boundary to define the population served by a ;health care unit'. This would be the basis for both general practitioner and nursing care, and would allow effective multidisciplinary teamwork, as well as encouraging cooperation between general practices and the development of community general practice.