There is something about the phrase “health inequalities” which is intangible and difficult to relate to the day-to-day practice of a GP surgery. We all understand the concept of health inequalities, that some people struggle with access to healthcare and their healthcare outcomes are worse than others, even within a very small geographical area. What we don’t know is how to do anything about it.

The challenge comes in identifying any way that we can make a difference to something that feels so far beyond our control. A GP practice cannot change the fact that there are affluent and less affluent areas within the practice boundaries. It cannot change the quality of housing in the area, or the amount of money people have, or the education those on their list receive. Health inequalities feel so much bigger than healthcare as a whole, let alone a single GP practice.

In this week’s episode of the Practice Index Practice Manager Panel podcast, our panel are joined by Dr Yusuf Ciftci, Policy and Advocacy Manager, and National Health Advisor Janet, from Doctors of the World. They share the very real challenges that some patients experience in registering with a GP practice.  These patients include refugees, asylum seekers, people experiencing homelessness and others who find it difficult to produce proof of identification and/or address.

The reality is that general practice services are available to all, and production of these documents is not a requirement of registration. However, in many practices this is not understood by our frontline reception staff. As a result, the patients who most need access to healthcare are denied it, and miss out particularly on the preventative services only offered by GP practices.

In the podcast Janet shares her own experience of struggling to register with a GP practice in England and the problems this caused her. She also shares just what a difference it can make to the lives of individuals if practices take a small amount of time to support those who do muster the courage to try and register.

Doctors of the World have set up a Safe Surgeries initiative, which you can access here. Informed by the challenges that patients have experienced, this initiative provides a toolkit, practical resources and a professional training programme for practice staff. By signing up, a practice commits to taking steps to tackle the barriers faced by many in accessing healthcare.

With more migrants coming into the country as a result of what is happening in Ukraine, this is the perfect time for practices to make sure that they are doing something very practical to tackle health inequalities. By signing up to the initiative, practices can make a tangible difference to health inequalities by making access easier for those who historically have some of the worst outcomes across all of our populations.  Do it now!

Click play to listen to the podcast here: