Deprivation and general practitioners' working lives: Repeated cross-sectional study

Area of Science:

• Primary care research
• Health services research
• Socioeconomic determinants of health

Background:

• Area deprivation significantly impacts healthcare delivery and workforce dynamics.
• Understanding these impacts is crucial for equitable resource allocation and service provision.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between area deprivation and the working lives of general practitioners (GPs) in England.
• To identify specific job pressures, satisfaction levels, and income variations associated with practicing in deprived areas.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of four repeated cross-sectional surveys of GPs in England from 2015 to 2021.
• Linear and interval regression models were used to assess associations between practice deprivation ranking and job pressures, satisfaction, intentions to quit, income, and hours worked.
• Models were adjusted for GP characteristics.

Main Results:

• Higher area deprivation was significantly associated with increased pressures from perceived problem patients, insufficient practice resources, and difficulty finding locum cover.
• GPs in more deprived areas reported significantly lower annual incomes.
• No significant associations were found between deprivation ranking and job satisfaction or intentions to quit direct patient care.

Conclusions:

• Key drivers of GP job pressure in deprived areas include challenging patient cases, resource limitations, and difficulties in securing temporary staff.
• GPs in more deprived areas experience reduced income, highlighting socioeconomic disparities in primary care.
• Targeted investment and policy changes are recommended to enhance GP recruitment and retention in underserved, deprived regions.