GP shortage in poorer areas ‘could widen inequality gap’

A SHORTAGE of GPs in poorer neighbourhoods could “widen health inequalities”, academics have warned.

New research found that there are fewer GPs per patient in poorer parts of England compared to wealthier regions.

In more deprived neighbourhoods, a lack of family doctors is often compensated by nursing roles, the study found.

The research, published in the British Journal of General Practice, examined the number of GPs in each region, for every 10,000 patients in the community.

The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, found that between September 2015 and December last year there were, on average, 1.4 fewer full time equivalent GPs per 10,000 patients in the most deprived areas compared to the least deprived areas.

They said that the lower GP numbers in deprived areas was compensated, in part, by more nurses. But people in more deprived neighbourhoods also had fewer patient-facing staff.

Dr John Ford, from the Department of Public Health and Primary Care at the University of Cambridge, the study’s senior author, said: “People who live in disadvantaged regions of England are not only more likely to have long-term health problems, but are likely to find it even more difficult to see a GP and experience worse care when they see a GP.”