title: Population mobility: characteristics of people registering with general practices.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to examine the characteristics of patients joining general practitioners' (GP) lists, and the time taken to register after a move of residence.
  
  
  METHODS
  Questionnaire study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Staff in six London general practices administered the questionnaire to 642 newly registering adults.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nearly 40% of participants took longer than 6 months to re-register with a GP after a change of address. About one in eight participants (13%) took longer than 1 year and one in 14 (7%) took longer than 3 years to register. The overall median time to register after a move was 4 months. The amount of time taken to register appeared to be influenced by a number of factors, including gender, age and geographical location.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Population mobility and the time taken to register with a new GP is likely to have a major impact on access to health care and the effectiveness of local preventative health programmes. Primary care trusts need to encourage their local residents to register with a GP soon after a change of address, and develop initiatives to encourage participation in preventative health programmes amongst mobile groups. Additional measures to strengthen primary care provision, such as walk-in centres, may be required in areas with the highest levels of population turnover.
authors.affiliation: Lambeth Primary Care Trust, 1 Lower Marsh, London SE1 7NT, UK. chris.millett@lambethpct.nhs.uk
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Millett
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zelenyanszki
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Binysh
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lancaster
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Majeed
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002391:Catchment Area, Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005194:Family Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005843:Geography; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008131:London; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011322:Primary Prevention; D012042:Registries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013222:State Medicine; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors