The patient's view of general practice in an urban area

The paper reviews evidence from the health care professions about the quality and accessibility of general practice in London, which suggests that inner London is less well served than elsewhere, and recommends changes to the organization and equipment of inner London practice. Results from a community survey in north-east London are presented to show how the views about general practice among residents in a typical inner city district compared with those in a suburban area. The results suggest that while the respondents were generally satisfied with their doctor's practice, a significant minority were dissatisfied, particularly in the inner city. Some of the respondents' views seemed to differ from the model of desirable general practice suggested by the policy literature. In particular, single-handed practice was more popular with patients than group practice. The results reflect the importance to patients of good personal rapport and communication with their doctor, which seemed to them the most significant quality of general practice. The implications for policies to improve inner city practice are considered.