§ Lord Reaasked Her Majesty's Government:
In respect of fund holding and non-fundholding general practice partnerships:
(a) what is the mean level and range of deprivation of the practice populations of the two groups (using Under-Privileged Area (Jarman) (scores);
(b) what is the distribution of inner city, urban, semi-rural and rural locations in the two groups;
(c) whether there is any difference in the geographical (regional) distribution of the two groups; and
(d) whether successive waves of general practice fund holding have had any impact on the above distributions. [HL657]
§ The Minister of State, Department of Health (Baroness Jay of Paddington)The information requested is not available centrally in the form requested, but the following tables give some indication of the pattern of fundholding and non-fundholding practices in the United Kingdom for the categories requested.
Table 1 shows how many fundholding and non-fundholding practices received deprivation payments in each of the last four years, indicating how the profile has changed over time. General medical services (GMS) deprivation payments are made to general practitioners for each patient on their list classified as living in underprivileged areas (UPA). Arrangements for assessing entitlement to these payments are based on the Jarman score for UPA as the measure of deprivation. This index is constructed from census variables weighted according to GP's perceptions of their influence on GMS workload. The 169WA detailed arrangements vary from country to country. Payments are currently made on the basis of 1991 census data.
Table 2 shows the percentage of the registered population covered by GP fundholders (GPFH) in each English health region and in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in each of the last four years.
Table 1a: Number of practices receiving deprivation payments: England, Scotland and Northern Ireland 1993 to 1996 Number of practices in receipt of deprivation payments Number of practices not in receipt of deprivation payments Total 1993 GPFH 707 647 1,354 non-GPFH 6,007 3,181 9,188 Total 6,714 3,828 10,542 1994 GPFH 1,220 1,043 2,263 non-GPFH 5,472 2,799 8,271 Total 6,692 3,842 10,534 1995 GPFH 1,542 1,297 2,839 non-GPFH 5,065 2,587 7,652 Total 6,607 3,884 10,491 1996 GPFH 2,586 1,568 4,154 non-GPFH 4,405 1,892 6,297 Total 6,991 3,460 10,451 Source:
Enhanced GP census 1 April. Scottish Health Service and Department of Health and Social Services in Northern Ireland.
170WA
Table 1b: Number of practices receiving deprivation payments: Wales 1993 to 1996 Number of practices in receipt of deprivation payments Number of practices not in receipt of deprivation payments Total 1993 292 251 543 1994 305 240 545 1995 306 232 538 1996 337 195 532 Source:
Enhanced GP census 1 April.
Note:
Data on deprivation payments to practices in Wales do not distinguish between fundholders and non-fundholders.
Table 2: Percentage of the registered population covered by GP fundholders 1994–95 to 1997–98. Percentage of registered population covered by GP fundholders 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 Region Northern & Yorks. 34 37 52 59 Trent 43 47 55 59 Anglia & Oxford 39 41 51 56 North Thames 27 36 49 54 South Thames 38 41 49 55 South & West 30 31 45 56 West Midlands 41 50 60 62 North West 34 37 53 57 England total 35 39 51 57 Scotland 22 37 46 — Wales 33 39 49 56 Northern Ireland 25 30 45 54 Source:
Returns from Regional Offices and Scottish Health Service, Welsh Office and Department of Health and Social Services in Northern Ireland.