General practice deprivation payments: are rural practices disadvantaged?

摘要

The use of the Jarman under privileged area (UPA) scoring system as a means of remuner- ating general practitioners (GPs) for the additional workload associated with depriva- tion has been the subject of much debate and criticism. GPs who are based in rural practices often fail to attract any deprivation payments and are particularly aggrieved. They criticise the UPA system for being more sensitive to urban deprivation and therefore inherently biased against rural practice. Electoral wards (EWs) are currently the geo- Graphical unite at which Jarman scores are Calculated and deprivation payments allocated.