Residents in poor areas go to A&E as they cannot see GP

ONE in three people in poor areas are ending up in A&E because they cannot get a GP appointment, research shows.

The analysis by The King’s Fund think tank shows those in deprived areas are three times as likely as those in wealthy parts of the country to face such problems. Experts said poverty was taking a heavy toll on the NHS, while cutting lives short.

The report cites Office for National Statistics figures that show poorer people facing a struggle to get medical help.

It found 30 per cent of people living in the most-deprived areas have turned to 999, 111, A&E or a walk-in centre because they were unable to access a GP appointment, compared with just 10 per cent of people in least-deprived areas.

Hospital data shows far more emergency admissions in places with higher levels of deprivation, it said. The analysis, commissioned by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said poorer patients might be more likely to struggle to access diagnosis and treatment because of the cost of travel, difficulties accessing online services and paying charges.

Some conditions, such as dementia, were more common in more affluent areas, where people tend to live longer.

Yet deaths from such diseases were far higher, suggesting that poorer people were less likely to get treatment and help. The research found dementia is 1.4 times less prevalent in the most deprived areas of England compared to the least deprived, yet the mortality rate from dementia is 1.6 times higher.

A similar trend was seen with the heart condition atrial fibrillation, where people in deprived communities are 1.3 times less likely to suffer the condition yet deaths from it are 1.6 times higher.

Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of The King’s Fund, said: “One of the founding principles of the NHS is that it is free at the point of need, yet our analysis shows the cruel irony that many people living in poverty find it harder to access the timely care that could help them better manage their health conditions and prevent future illness.”

An NHS spokesperson said: “From mobile health checks, cancer scans and vaccinations, to setting up community diagnostic centres in some of the most deprived areas in the country, the NHS is striving to improve access to care for all our patients, especially communities that struggled to access healthcare.”

A government spokesman said: “We are putting record funding into the NHS and delivering 50 million more GP appointments per year, while there are 1.7 million fewer people living in absolute poverty compared to 2010, including 400,000 children.”