Unequal Health: An Injustice NHS Primary Care Must Tackle, UK

Main Category: Primary Care / General Practice
Article Date: 14 Mar 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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If you are a man living in Manchester, your life expectancy is lower than anywhere else in England. For women, Liverpool is the worst area to live. A baby born today in the North East is more likely to die in the first few months of life than a baby born in the South of England.

These are injustices a civilised country cannot and should not tolerate. The NHS Alliance applauds the government's determination to tackle the causes of health inequalities.

But given they exist, it is the job of the NHS to minimise their effects and, wherever possible, to remove the reasons for poor health.

Primary care has the potential to make the most impact, both in terms of saving lives and in improving the health of people living in deprived areas. Surprisingly. research has demonstrated that mortality rates in hospitals are more closely linked to the number of GPs in the local catchment area than to the number of doctors in the hospital. International research by the World Health Organisation and others shows that good primary care provides better outcomes and improved equity at lower costs than systems focused around hospital care.

More investment is needed: strengthening practice based commissioning and providing more GPs in under-doctored areas, more primary care nurses and other clinicians, all delivering accessible care close to home so that those who need healthcare get prompt, timely treatment when they need it. Good primary care can also encourage health improvement through education and personal advice, and through schemes such as exercise on prescription.

NHS Alliance chairman Dr Michael Dixon said:

"Health Minister Lord Darzi's coming review of the NHS needs to focus on how primary care can lead the health service.

"In particular, it must support strengthened practice based commissioning, where local clinicians who know their patients make decisions about the services they need. That is the best way for the NHS to play its role in tackling health inequalities."

Notes

1. The NHS Alliance is a collaboration of professionals who put patients first. Values based, it is the only organisation that brings together PCTs with GP practices, clinicians with managers and Board members, and NHS primary care with its patients. The Alliance membership and its hard working national executive is fully multi-professional.

NHS Alliance