Table 2 Themes and Subthemes

1. Private GPs and patients with complex needs must be willing to accept each other to have a therapeutic encounter. (micro-organisational)

a) Private GPs and such patients consider the presence of certain skill sets (e.g. geriatric training) and approach (e.g. generalist) of private GPs before coming together for consultation

b) Private GPs and such patients factor in the clinic set-up (e.g. accessibility, presence of resources, less workload of seeing acute conditions) before engaging in consultations

c) Private GPs and such patients consider the multi-dimensional needs of the latter (i.e. biopsychosocial domains) before engaging in consultations

2. Trust and good communication channels between the referring doctors and private GPs must exist for effective collaboration in managing complex care. (meso-organisational)

a) Patients with complex needs have multi-dimensional issues which require careful handover of details from referrer to private GPs and resources from both parties (e.g. time on the part of GPs, casemanagers from referers)

b) Private GPs perceive themselves to be negatively evaluated (e.g. in terms of clinical skills) by the public (including the referers of patients with complex needs), resulting in less of such referrals to them

3. External stakeholders (e.g., policy-makers) should fund care models, which are financially viable to both patients with complex needs and private GPs. (macro-organisational)

a) The management of complex care needs to be affordable to such patients in private clinics as they generally require more resources

b) The management of complex care has to be financially sustainable for private GPs as such consultations may consume more time than uncomplicated care and require highly personalised and contextualised management