Commentary & Podcasts

There has been no way of ensuring the equitable distribution of general medical practitioners (GPs) in England since 2001. Deprived areas are being worst affected by shortages of GPs. That trend is increasing, and is widening health inequalities. This essay, by John Gooderham, offers a solution to the problem. The financial implications are neutral, and the running costs are low.

Most of the care required in our country is dispensed by the General Practice. In this essay, Dean Eggitt breaks down the GP service – on financing, governance, and priorities – and suggests reforms that should better enable it to deliver on the UK’s primary care needs.

The GP crisis long predated COVID-19. During the pandemic, despite being ideally placed, primary care was bypassed at every stage; triage, test and trace, vaccination boosters. In this essay, Simon Hodes paints a detailed picture of the myriad pressures placed on the GPs service, showing the necessity of greater attention and investment into it.

The COVID-19 pandemic created a stark divide between a public that was shut off from healthcare, whilst GPs and others found themselves severely overworked and under-appreciated - as highlighted by the response to James Kirkup's column in The Times. In this essay, Doug Russell sets out to answer two questions arising from the difference in responses: 1) why is there a rise in GPs working part-time? and 2) why is there 'under-doctoring' in areas of higher deprivation?

Yesterday, the Chancellor announced the "most radical simplification of alcohol duties for over 140 years” at the Autumn Budget. Whether it matches up to the SMF's recommendations - laid out in our 2019 report, Pour Decisions - is worth examining.

The maximum social and economic benefit of higher education can be realised when policymakers adequately address the 'signalling' critique. This commentary by Aveek Bhattacharya and Chris Percy is based on SMF's recent publication - Signal Failure - which aims to direct the time, energy and resources of our education system to things that really benefit learners and society at large.