GP practices in deprived areas should be ‘prioritised for resource’ to reduce health inequalities, researchers have argued.
A new study from the University of Glasgow found that supporting and resourcing ‘high-quality’ patient care in general practice ‘could be critical in efforts to reduce existing health inequalities’.
The researchers said that policymakers should priorities and resource person-centred care (PCC) in poor areas rather than access, and argued that continuity of care should be incentivised in general practice.
Working with patient groups in some of the most deprived areas of Scotland, the researchers found that community factors – experiences of belonging, stigma from outside the community, and experiences of community-based systems not working – had ‘a direct impact on health’.
But they said that despite the increased rates of illness, particularly mental health, GP practices in these areas currently receive ‘no extra resources’.
‘GPs therefore have no choice but to see more people, with more problems, in less time, which makes providing appropriate care extremely challenging,’ they added.
Throughout the study, researchers spent time in one community in the West of Scotland which experiences high levels of poverty.
People in this area described how wider experiences influenced their experience of healthcare, and often ‘resulted in anger or disengagement from services’.
The study said: ‘All primary care is under considerable strain, which means that extra resource rather than reallocation is required to “level up” general practice.
‘As well as increasing resource, much policy has focused on access to appointments. Although important, it may come at the expense of continuity and may favour those with the most resource to navigate systems.
‘Given the critical importance of PCC, policymakers should prioritise and resource PCC as well as access: existing measures of practitioner relationship and continuity could be used to incentivise practices to prioritise PCC.’
According to the researchers, this study highlights the importance of prioritising and resourcing high-quality care in general practice to narrow health inequalities.
Dr Marianne McCallum, GP clinical academic fellow in general practice and primary care at the University of Glasgow, said: ‘This study provides further evidence to suggest that relationships and continuity really are the “silver bullets of general practice” and this is particularly so in communities experiencing poverty.
‘This study also emphasises the need to ensure that GPs working in these areas are properly resourced to allow them time to provide this essential care.’
Recent RCGP research found that GPs in deprived areas care for almost 2,500 patients per head, which is over 300 more than those in more affluent areas.
Pulse exclusively revealed last year that GP practices in the bottom 10% of funding per patient have around 1,200 patients per clinical staff member, compared with around 600 in the top-funded practices.
