Family Doctors and Public Policy

Originally published in 1973, this book investigates the spatial distribution of General Practitioners (GPs) via the Designated Area Allowance (DAA) which was introduced in England amid controversy in 1966. It analyses the effectiveness of the DAA and presents the results of a survey conducted among general practitioners in England, covering the patterns of geographical mobility among GPs, the relationship between choice of practice area and other connections with the locality. It also discusses the professional and personal differences between GPs in areas which are well served with GPs and those which are not. The book provides an important historical discussion of the inequalities in the distribution of general practitioners in England in the late twentieth century.