Wealthier areas boosted by more GPs

Last updated at 11:09 16 December 2005


Affluent parts of towns and cities are served by a larger number of GPs and patients are more likely to benefit from extra services than deprived areas, a study has found.

The Government has launched a number of initiatives to boost the well-being of the most deprived members of society.

However, the study from Glasgow University showed ill health is still two-and-a-half times greater in the most deprived group compared with the most affluent.

Yet there were 11 per cent more GPs in the more affluent areas compared with the more deprived half of the population.

Rationing

Professor Graham Watt, from Glasgow University said the study helped to explain the persistence of health inequalities in the UK, and the under-achievement of the NHS in narrowing the gap.

"The strict rationing of medical manpower, irrespective of need, places a major constraint on what the NHS can deliver in deprived areas.

"Too many NHS agencies have policies and initiatives which fizzle out in the most deprived third of the population.

The study was carried out by researchers at Glasgow University and looked at availability of primary care according to levels of deprivation.

They based their study on a population of 5.35million people served by 1,050 general practices. The population was divided into 10 equally sized groups according to levels of deprivation.

The researchers said that the most rural and deprived areas had a higher proportion of single-handed and small practices.

They also found these practices tended to have younger doctors, and less involvement by GPs in extra voluntary activities compared with affluent areas.

These activities include quality schemes, health service initiatives and training opportunities.

The researchers said that these activities featured about twice as often in practices serving more affluent areas.

The study was published in the British Medical Journal.

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