Report: GP experience of the impact of austerity on patients and general
practices in very deprived areas.
March 2012.
Front-piece.
Concerns have been raised in several quarters about the consequences of
the Government’s welfare reforms and other austerity measures, which
have been implemented since October 2010. These concerns include the
negative impact that cuts in benefits are having on some of society’s
most vulnerable individuals and families.
GPs and primary healthcare professionals are at the frontline in
responding to the needs of these people. “GPs at the Deep End” work in
100 general practices serving the most socio-economically deprived
populations in Scotland. This report draws on the recent experiences of
Deep End practices, as they were asked to reflect on the effects of
austerity measures on patients and on patient care. Responses included
general comments and individual case studies.
The report makes for grim reading. It describes the direct and indirect
consequences of austerity policies on patient health and on the systems
that are in place to support health and wellbeing. The case studies are
a graphic illustration of the strain these systems are already under;
and more importantly, the strain that the most vulnerable – the elderly
living in fuel poverty or the homeless mother and her child – are
experiencing right now.
Report compiled on behalf of the Deep End Steering Group by David Blane
and Graham Watt, with thanks to the general practitioners in the Deep
End who contributed to the survey
The 8 page report can be downloaded from:
http://www.gla.ac.uk/media/media_232766_en.pdf
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