Underfunding of primary care in deprived areas affects everyone

doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7535.236-a

BMJ 2006;332:236 (28 January), doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7535.236-a

Letter

Underfunding of primary care in deprived areas affects everyone

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Editor—The paper by McColl et al and the accompanyingeditorial raise important questions about the provision of primarycare in areas with high levels of deprivation.^{1 2} It is misleadingto focus on refugees and asylum seekers as it suggests thatthe only problem is one of discrimination against this group—althoughthere may be some truth in this assertion, the reality is farmore complex. Accessing primary care is a problem for all residentsof Tower Hamlets and, by extrapolation, for those in other areaswith similar populations.

This is nothing new—such communities have always beencomparatively underresourced. But what has changed is the clamourfor increased quality of service provision and increased levelsof access at the same time as there has been a shift of workfrom secondary to primary care. Primary care trusts, in contrast,find themselves in the unenviable position of having to cajolegeneral practitioners into . . . [Full text of this article]

James N Hardy, general practitioner principal

Bethnal Green Health Centre, London E2 6LL james.hardy@nhs.net