General Practice and Primary Care’s David Blane has been awarded a grant from the Health Foundation to investigate responses to the inverse care law in Scotland over the last 20 years.

Photo of vintage weighing scales

Building on recent work by the Health Foundation in England, David will be working with former IHW colleague Professor Stewart Mercer on this 12-month project.

The research will synthesise learning from policies and interventions that have targeted the health care supply side (funding, workforce, access, quality), incorporating qualitative insights from key stakeholders from Scottish Government, Public Health Scotland, NHS Health Boards, the Deep End GP group, and third sector representatives.

Commenting on the potential importance of this work, David said:

"The distribution of health care resource is an important, yet often overlooked, determinant of health and healthcare inequalities. 50 years after the term was coined, the 'inverse care law' is sadly still going strong. We hope this research will enhance our response to it."

Find out more about the GPs at the Deep End group and its efforts to tackle health and healthcare inequalities


First published: 19 October 2021