Demand for out of hours care is higher in deprived areas

Increasing numbers of general practitioners have been working in cooperatives to deliver out of hours care, but accurate data about demand are lacking. On p 618 Salisbury et al report a study covering England and Scotland based on over a million out of hours telephone calls to 20 cooperatives in one year. The overall rate was 159 per 1000 patients a year but was higher in Scotland than in England. Patients living in deprived areas made 70% more calls than those in other areas. A quarter of calls resulted in a home visit; only 1 in 20 led to admission. This information makes it possible to assess the effects of future changes resulting from the telephone helpline NHS Direct.

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Relevant Article

Demand for and supply of out of hours care from general practitioners in England and Scotland: observational study based on routinely collected data

Chris Salisbury, Marialena Trivella, and Stephen Bruster
BMJ 2000 320: 618-621. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]