Table 1.

Activities undertaken within primary care and the impact on primary care staff.

Points where primary care is involved in screening activities	Activities undertaken within primary care process	Potential impact on primary care staff
Point A
Lists of potential participants (prior-notification lists) sent to general practices	Checking of prior notification lists for accuracy and completeness and the exclusion of patients for whom invitation for faecal occult blood tests would be clinically inappropriate	Increase in workload for one or more type of practice staff (for example, practice managers and GPs)
Point B
Invitations and faecal occult blood test kits sent out	Providing information on the test and screening programme	Increase in workload for receptionists (handling calls), and GPs and nurses (responding to enquiries). There may be a need for increased training
Point C
Results have been processed and associated correspondence sent	Filing of positive faecal occult blood tests	Increase in workload for administrative staff
	Providing information to people on the meaning of their test result	Increase in consultations and or consultation time for GPs and/or nurses
	Providing counselling, advice, and support to people referred for further investigations	Increase in consultations and/or consultation time for GPs and/or nurses
Point D
Ongoing treatment and surveillance	Filing of results/letters	Increase in workload for administrative staff
	Providing ongoing support and counselling to people undergoing treatment	Increase in consultations for GPs