General practitioner services in primary care groups in England: is there inequity between service availability and population need?
This study examined the coverage of minor surgery, child health surveillance and chronic disease management for asthma and diabetes in relation to population need and key organisational features of general practice in the 481 primary care groups (PCGs) in England. PCG-level summary scores were developed to estimate the relative availability of all four services and their relative importance in discriminating between high and low levels of service provision. The coverage of services was widespread and, in such circumstances, there was no systematic evidence of poorer service availability for PCGs with higher population need (the 'inverse care' law). Rather this relation was localised, being most predominant for PCGs covering London and its suburbs. In these PCGs, there was no association between indicators of lack of capacity, such as single-handed practice, and levels of service provision.
Baker
D
D
National Primary Care Research and Development Centre, University of Manchester, 5th Floor, Williamson Building, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK. d.baker@man.ac.uk
Hann
M
M
D001249:Asthma / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000628:therapy; D019468:Disease Management; D004739:England; D006123:Group Practice / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012935:Social Justice; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013222:State Medicine