As part of its work on the 'Essence of General Practice' the Royal College of General Practitioners (Scotland) has launched a set of GP Learning Tools.

The Learning Tools comprise of GP prompt cards and an explanatory booklet about the initiative.

The cards communicate and capture the 'Essence of General Practice' from the viewpoint of both the General Practitioner and the patient.

We asked a number of respected General Practitioners to submit their thoughts on "What is the future of General Practice?"

We then asked a number of patients to answer these two questions: "What do you value from your GP?" and "What do you see as the unique role of your GP?"

The cards can be used in a number of ways, such as:
* To evoke fresh thinking

* To engage in the debate of what General Practice might be like in the future

* To encourage creativity

The opinions on the cards are anonymous to allow for original thought.

The illustrations on the reverse of the cards reflect the meaning of the highlighted text from the extract.