Table 1.

Groups and organizations from which interviewees were drawn (number of interviews in each category are shown in brackets)

Health agencies (including the Modernisation Agency, the Commission for Health Improvement, and the National Institute for Clinical Excellence) and regulatory bodies such as the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting (UKCC) (10)

Royal Colleges (including General Practitioners, Nursing, Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Paediatricians, Pathologists, Physicians, Psychiatrists and Surgeons) and other professional organizations (including Occupational Therapists and Health Visitors) (15)

Educational institutions – medical, nursing and midwifery schools and organizations responsible for postgraduate clinical training of health professionals from all backgrounds (12)

Patient and user groups and consumer organizations including the National Schizophrenia Fellowship, the Alzheimer's Society, Carers UK, the National Asthma Campaign, the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and the Consumers’ Association (10)