Preventable death will rise in the next four years unless someone gets on the government's case and makes them rethink signifcantly how they're going to make sure fewer people don't die

This is a report I should read because it's going to be chocka with
information. I just feel like drinking today away. Someone else will
apply the information to what's happened after the CSR and the
Liberating the NHS white paper. This sort of shit affects all areas of
life. There are many mentally ill people who are poorest in society, as
well as those with severe physical illnesses, the homeless, immigrants,
whatever, who are dying quicker for ways that could be preventable (and
them making the choice too, i.e. people have the choice to smoke or
drive cars that pollute the environment and lead to deaths). I want a
green planet but I want the poor to be able to live long enough to enjoy it.

UK National Audit Office
*Tackling inequalities in life expectancy in areas with the worst health
and deprivation*
http://www.nao.org.uk/publications/1011/health_inequalities.aspx

An outline is reported in this article.
*GPs accused of failing the poorest*
http://www.onmedica.com/NewsArticle.aspx?id=baaf432f-d61a-4933-b6c5-cbd5bfbfaeac

"
GPs are not doing enough to bridge the gap between the richest and
poorest of their patients, according to a new Parliamentary report.

The Committee of Public Accounts today published its 3rd Report:
'Tackling inequalities in life expectancy in areas with the worst health
and deprivation,' in which it revealed a widening of the life expectancy
gap between the richest and poorest.

The Rt Hon Margaret Hodge MP, who chairs the Committee, today described
the problem 'of particular concern especially against a background of a
general improvement in public health over the last decade.'

The report blamed the Department of Health for failing to adequately
address GP shortages in underprivileged areas and accused 'many GPs' of
failing to focus their attention 'sufficiently' on their more deprived
patients.

"GPs are crucial to improving the health of people in the most deprived
areas. However, in many of these areas the number of GPs per head of
population is well below the number in more affluent areas. The
Department missed an opportunity to use the revised GP contract to
ensure more doctors work in deprived areas, and has not focused their
attention sufficiently on implementing the key interventions that would
make a difference," it said.

In particular the Committee said the GP contract had not provided enough
incentive to encourage GPs to focus on the neediest groups.

"Only 10 of the 146 indicators in the GP contract's Quality and Outcomes
Framework reward preventative treatment for those most at risk of
developing symptoms. In addition, GPs can receive full payment of the
additional income available under this framework without treating the
hardest to reach and neediest groups," it stated.

But speaking to OnMedica, Dr Richard Vautrey, deputy chair of the
British Medical Association's GP's committee, said the Committee had
taken a 'too narrow view of QOF'.

"Large parts of QOF focus on long term conditions that have a higher
prevalence in deprived communities than in better-off areas. QOF is one
of the few areas in the NHS that has narrowed the health inequality gap
as it has standardised the treatment of many long term conditions, so
that rich and poor get the same high quality treatment from their GP and
practice team. This wasn't consistently the case before QOF was
introduced," he said.

Nonetheless, he too called for improved 'centralised workforce planning'
to ensure that enough GPs are working in deprived communities.

The Department of Health has said it aims to renegotiate the GP contract
to ensure that every outcome indicator includes a health inequalities
element.
"

I'd add that there's no focus on mental health and mortality whatsoever.
The UK has a very high mortality risk for people with a diagnosis of
schizophrenia and and 20 year reduced life expectancy for people with
bipolar or schizophrenia. Mental illness is a massive disavdantage in UK
society and more than other European nations.

Here's the link to the executive summary. Those are really useful
because most people just don't have the time to read through these
massive reports. It's a bit like reading the abstract of a paper though.
It's totally necessary to read the report because there's where the
proper information is and summaries can leave important things out. The
press are even worse in this respect.

http://www.nao.org.uk/idoc.ashx?docId=a08e42d2-a219-459b-9678-40b6931ec2d2&version=-1