07.11.12
London GPs ‘performing poorly’, says King’s Fund
A ‘postcode lottery’ in the standard of care offered by GP surgeries across England is harming patients, a new study by The King’s Fund indicates.
The research shows that surgeries in London and deprived areas of the country are least likely to operate in patient-friendly ways, and patients served by these surgeries experience the smallest improvements in their condition.
Based on performance data at over 8,000 surgeries, the study found that around 40-60% of the weakest were in London, and 40% were in the poorest areas.
Generally, the more GPs a surgery has, the better it performs. Additionally, researchers found that single-handed GP surgeries were more problematic.
Surgeries where it is easy to get an appointment and for patients to have a say in their treatment delivered the best outcomes in terms of QOF scores and patient satisfaction ratings, and patients are more likely to comply with medical advice and take more responsibility for managing their condition.
The study states: “With some exceptions, the high-performing practices are predominantly located outside London and in more affluent areas. In contrast, and again with some exceptions, practices that performed poorly on patient experience and clinical outcomes are predominantly located in London and in areas with higher deprivation.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Health said: “This is concerning and provides clear evidence for why we are right to want to get to grips with health inequalities between deprived and better-off areas.
“This is why we are proposing changes to the GP contract, so that the system is fairer, so that payments should better reflect the number of patients on GPs’ lists and be appropriately weighted for factors such as age and deprivation.”
The report is at: www.kingsfund.org.uk/sites/files/kf/field/field_publication_file/improving-gp-services-in-england-the-kings-fund-nov-2012.pdf
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