The Scottish Deep End Project

Publications, podcasts and resources

 Podcasts

• Working Together: building capacity to support disabled people in the asylum system in Glasgow and beyond (May 2026)
• Health, Harm and Hope: a conversation on (in)equality Dr Carey Lunan in conversation with Karyn McCluskey and Darren McGarvey at Community Justice Scotland annual event (Oct 2025)
• Generally Speaking: The RCGP Scotland podcast (Apr 2025)
• Money, Power Health: GPs at the Deep End (Episode 11) David Blane spoke to Nason Maani as part of his "Money, Power, Health" podcast (Feb 2025) 
• Finding fairhealth podcast - Finding Fairhealth through working at the Deep End (series, 2019 - 2023)
• Fighting for the Soul of General Practice podcast (series, 2024 onwards)
• Meeting the Challenge podcast series (Samaritans Scotland podcast) (2021)
• Health Inequalities and Covid-19 (Healthy Discussions podcast) (April 2021)
• Tackling Health Inequalities through General Practice (GP) (Aug 2022)

2026

• On the University of Glasgow Centre for Public Policy News page, a blog post by Professor Andrea Williamson welcomes the publication of ‘The Level’, led by Homeless Network Scotland, a delivery protocol to close the health equity gap and ensure people with severe and multiple disadvantage backgrounds thrive. 
• Lindsay, C., Baruffati, D., Mackenzie, M. et al. Addressing the causes of ‘missingness’ in healthcare: a co-designed suite of interventions. BMC Med 24, 378 (2026).
  Background "Although missed appointments in healthcare have been an area of concern for policy, practice and research, the primary focus has been on reducing single ‘situational’ missed appointments to the benefit of services. Little attention has been paid to the causes and consequences of more ‘enduring’ multiple missed appointments in primary care and the role this has in producing health inequalities."

• Albanese, Alessio, Lunan, Carey, Mercer, Stewart W. and Blane, David N. (2026) Responses to the inverse care law in Scottish general practice and the role of the Deep End project: a qualitative study. BJGP Open 14 May 2026; BJGPO.2026.0046.
• McHenry, Ryan, Campbell, Marion, Chung, David, Blane, David and Corfield, Alasdair R. (2026) Socioeconomic deprivation is associated with redirection to other services from the emergency department: a multicentre retrospective cross-sectional study. Emergency Medicine Journal 2026;43:519-521

2025

• Graham Watt | From Glyncorrwg to the Deep End - Medics Voices An interview by Medics Voices, reflecting on the career of Professor Graham Watt
•  Blane, David N. , Lunan, Carey and Mercer, Stewart W. (2025) Can we tackle the inverse care law in general practice? British Journal of General Practice, 75(757), pp. 345-346.
• Bogie, James, van Dijk, Meike, Bezzina, Cara , Lunan, Carey, Henderson, David, Mercer, Stewart W. and Blane, David N. (2025) Addressing the inverse care law in Scottish general practice: systematic scoping review. British Journal of General Practice, 75(757), e549-e558.  

2024

• Lindsay, C., Baruffati, D., Mackenzie, M. et al. Understanding the causes of missingness in primary care: a realist review. BMC Med 22, 235 (2024).
  Background "We hypothesised that the causes of missingness are different in duration, complexity or intensity than those leading to single missed appointments. Interventions designed to tackle single missed appointments are likely be a poor fit for these patients and may increase access inequalities. There is an urgent need to understand why missingness occurs, in order to intervene effectively and mitigate it and its negative impacts."
• Health Inequalities in Scotland. A national calamity: A frontline GP view
  Report written by Dr Catriona Morton in 2022 and updated in 2024. Catriona is a founding member of the Deep End project in Scotland. It pulls together frontline clinical and patient experience, and a wealth of published data on the subject, making it an extremely useful reference document.

2023

• How an Exclusion Prevention Group (EPG) could operate in general practice  
  Dr Adam Burley (Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Professional Lead for Trauma Services NHS Lothian)
  Dr Carey Lunan (GP Chair of Scottish Deep End Project)
• Examples of trauma-informed approaches in a general practice setting  
  Dr Carey Lunan, Dr Adam Burley and Dr Andrea Williamson
• Supporting registration with a general practice  
  Dr Carey Lunan and Dr Andrea Williamson

2022

• Primary Care Alcohol Nurse Outreach Service (PCANOS): full evaluation
• Ciftci, Y. and Blane, D. N. (2022) Improving GP registration and access for migrant health. British Journal of General Practice, 72(715), pp. 56-57. (doi: 10.3399/bjgp22X718301)
• GP workforce analysed by deprivation (Carey Lunan and Stewart Mercer)
  Report | Slides | Public Health Scotland analysis

2021 

• Albanese, A., Blane, D. N. and Williamson, A. E. (2021) Mental health in context: structural vulnerability and support in primary care. British Journal of General Practice, 71(713), pp. 565-567. (doi: 10.3399/bjgp21X717965) (PMID:34824078)
• Patterson, D. and Blane, D. N. (2021) Training for purpose – a blueprint for social accountability and health equity focused GP training. Education for Primary Care, 32(6), pp. 318-321. (doi: 10.1080/14739879.2021.1966652) (PMID:34486945)
• GPs and staff face abuse, workforce figures and health inequalities [podcast]
  GP Online speaks to Dr Carey Lunan and Dr David Blane about how they are trying to tackle health inequalities and what other practices can learn from their work.
• Health inequalities in Scotland and how the Deep End Project aims to balance them [podcast]
  Scotland compares very poorly with other countries in Europe and even within the UK when it comes to health inequalities, but why? In S03E02 of the Royal Society of Edinburgh’s Tea and Talk Podcast, RSE Chief Executive Rebekah Widdowfield talks to Professor Graham Watt CBE FRSE about the reasons and possible answers.
• Williamson AE, McQueenie R, Ellis DA, McConnachie A, Wilson P (2021) ‘Missingness’ in health care: Associations between hospital utilization and missed appointments in general practice. A retrospective cohort study. PLoS ONE 16(6): e0253163. 

2020

• Ashwell, G., Blane, D. , Lunan, C. and Matheson, J. (2020) General practice post-COVID-19: time to put equity at the heart of health systems? British Journal of General Practice, 70(697), p. 400. (doi: 10.3399/bjgp20X712001) (PMID:32732207)
• Martina Zeitler, Andrea E Williamson, John Budd, Ruth Spencer, Anton Queen, and Richard Lowrie Comparing the Impact of Primary Care Practice Design in Two Inner City UK Homelessness Services Journal of Primary Care and Community Health 2020 11, 1-13
• Andrea E Williamson, Ross McQueenie, David A Ellis, Alex McConnachie and Philip Wilson General practice recording of adverse childhood experiences: a retrospective cohort study of GP records BJGP Open 18 February 2020
  This research shows that recording of ACEs is very sparse in the GP record. There is nevertheless an association between any recorded ACE and the likelihood of missing GP appointments.
• Govan SHIP Project 
  • Govan SHIP report and evaluation (June 2020, reviewed 2026), see also 2017 Govan SHIP Full Report and Govan SHIP Executive Summary
  • Govan SHIP report appendices
  • Govan SHIP infographics 
• Delivering Opioid Substitution Treatment in Edinburgh during COVID-19 [BBC News, 27/04/2020]
  Dr John Budd talks about innovative work in the Edinburgh Access Practice during the COVID-19 pandemic with patients prescribed Methadone
• Allyson M Pollock, Luke Clements, Louisa Harding-Edgar Covid-19: why we need a national health and social care service BMJ 2020 369
  Editorial on the need for a fully integrated health and social care system

2019

• Effectiveness of Community-Links Practitioners in Areas of High Socioeconomic Deprivation Stewart W. Mercer, Bridie Fitzpatrick, Lesley Grant, Nai Rui Chng, Alex McConnachie, Andisheh Bakhshi, Greg James-Rae, Catherine A. O’Donnell, Sally Wyke. Annals of Family Medicine 2019 17(6)
  Further evaluation of the Deep End Link Worker programme suggests that ongoing engagement with the community link worker is essential in uptake of suggested community resources and improved patient outcomes
• GPs at the Deep End: identifying and addressing social disadvantage wherever it lies Elizabeth Sturgiss, Peter Tait, Kirsty Douglas, Joo-Inn Chew, Susan Baglow, Graham Watt. Australian Journal of General Practice 48(11) 2019
• Building equity in the NHS: the role of general practice Graham Watt. BJGP 2019 69(685) 374-375
• Overview of Glasgow HSCP Community Link Worker Programme [video from HSCP and NHSGGC]
  A GP and Community Link Worker discuss practical aspects of the CLW role in the primary care team.
• Report of the Health and Sport Committee of the Scottish Parliament
  Dr Anne Mullin gave evidence on behalf of the GPs at the Deep End to the Health and Sport Committee of the Scottish Parliament on on 01 October 2019
• Deep End response to the One Year Care Consultation
  The Deep End group response to the second phase of the Scottish Government inquiry into what primary care should look like for the next generation
• Morbidity, mortality and missed appointments in healthcare: a national retrospective data linkage study Ross McQueenie, David A. Ellis, Alex McConnachie, Philip Wilson, Andrea Williamson (BMC Medicine paper reporting on morbidity and mortality outcomes)
• Demographic and practice factors predicting repeated non-attendance in primary care: a national retrospective cohort analysis David Ellis, Ross McQueenie, Alex McConnachie, Philip Wilson, Andrea Williamson (Lancet paper examining patient and practice demographic factors
• GP speciality training in areas of deprivation: factors influencing engagement. A qualitative study Marianne McCallum, Sara MacDonald and John McKay. BJGP Open May 2019 
• Report
  Integrating money advice workers into primary care settings: an evaluation
• and associated blog
  At the Deep End: integrating money advice workers into GP practices

2018

• Medical education in (and for) areas of socio-economic deprivation in the UK David Blane. Education for Primary Care 2018 29 (5)

2017

• Deep End Financial Advice Worker Project: Building connections‌
• Deep End Advice Worker Project: embedding advice in general practice (Glasgow Centre for Population Health, Sept 2017)
  Executive summary | Main report
• GP working conditions improved by deprived area pilot programme Pulse, May 2017
• David N. Blane; Petra Sambale; Andrea E. Williamson; Graham C.M. Watt A change model for GPs serving deprived areas Ann Fam Med 2017 vol. 15 no. 3 277 
• Remembering what the NHS is for Graham Watt. Scottish Left Review Issue 98 March 2017  

2016 

• A new future for social security: consultation on social security in Scotland A response from GPs at the Deep End, October 2016
• Second Deep End response to Scottish Government's Mental Health Strategy
• Deep End briefing for Health and Sport Committee of the Scottish Parliament‌
  Text and slides of a presentation given by Professor Graham Watt to the Health and Sport Committee of the Scottish Parliament on its awayday on 04 September 2016
• Political lobbying by Deep End GPs
• "Patterns of health care use of frequent attenders at very deprived general practices in Glasgow BSc dissertation and poster presentation by Alice Harry, medical student, at UK RCGP Conference, Harrogate, 2016
• Deep End response to the Scottish Government's draft Mental Health Strategy

2015

• GPs at the Deep End response to the Consultation over the City of Glasgow Integration Joint Board Draft Strategy Comments on draft strategy plan
• Scottish Parliament, Official Report, Public Audit Committee (link broken) 28 October 2015 [see pages 92 to 112] 
• Welfare benefits and general practice‌‌ (A study at Keppoch Medical Practice, Possilpark Health and Care Centre) Sarah Littler, University of Edinburgh
• Response to Scottish Government consultation on Creating a Fairer Scotland August 2015
• Letter from a Deep End practice July 2015
• Improving physical health outcomes of those with severe and enduring mental health problems: learning exchange. Professor Graham Watt, Conference on Mental Health arranged by the Scottish Government Health Department, Thistle Hotel, Glasgow, Wednesday 04 March 2015  
• Scottish Parliament, Official Report, Equal Opportunities Committee 23 April 2015, contribution by Professor Graham Watt 

2014

• Summary of Deep End activity in 2014 (Graham Watt)
• Anne Mullin gave evidence to the Health and Sport Committee at a “round table evidence session” on Health inequalities in the early years : the role of health professionals on 02/12/2014. 
• Health inequalities: official report of meeting of Health and Sport Committee of the Scottish Parliament, 01 April 2014
• ‌At the Deep End: what are the problems with welfare reforms? Health Inequalities Issue 3, 2014

2013 

• Summary of Deep End activity in 2013 (Graham Watt) 
• Dr Peter Cawston, Dr Susan Langridge and Professor Graham Watt give evidence on Health Inequalities to the Public Audit Committee at the Scottish Parliament on 30th January 2013 [evidence begins 57 minutes into the recording] 
• A routemap to the 2020 vision for health and social care (NHS Scotland 2013) 
• Bridging the gaps in cardiovascular care. Professor Graham Watt, Annual Scientific Meeting of the British Hypertension Society, University of Greenwich, 10 September 2013 
• Alcohol problems in very deprived areas 
  This short paper collates three Deep End statements on alcohol, which were tabled at a meeting on Alcohol Dependency at the Scottish parliament on 15 May 2013, chaired by Jackie Baillie MSP on behalf of the Wellbeing Alliance. ‌‌‌
• Written evidence on Children and Young People and Public Bodies (Scot) Bills
  This is the written response backing Dr Anne Mullin's oral evidence to a Holyrood Committee investigating the implications of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill and the Public Bodies (Joint Working)(Scotland) Bill at the Scottish Parliament on 04 September 2013.

2012

• Blane, D. and Watt, G. (2012) Altogether now? Austerity at the deep end. BJGP 62(600), pp. 374-375
• Graham Watt, Georgina Brown, John Budd, Peter Cawston, Margaret Craig, Robert Jamieson, Susan Langridge, Andrew Lyon, Stewart Mercer, Catriona Morton, Anne Mullin, Jim O’Neil, Euan Paterson, Petra Sambale, Andrea Williamson General Practitioners at the Deep End: The experience and views of general practitioners working in the most severely deprived areas of Scotland Occas Pap R Coll Gen Pract. 2012 April; (89): i-viii, 1-40. [Published 2012, Available online 2013]
• General practice and social deprivation BMJ blog by Domhnall MacAuley, June 2013 
• Watt G. What can the NHS do to prevent and reduce health inequalities? British Journal of General Practice 2013 63 (614), 494-495. doi:10.3399/bjgp13X671803
• MEETING SUMMARY What do Deep End GPs need to be good at? (Oct 2012)
• ‌Public audit committee report on inequalities in health Scottish Parliament, April 2013
• Planning capacity of welfare benefit advice in GP practice: a toolkit London Regional Public Health Group, London Health Inequalities Network (March 2013) link no longer working
• Links Project Report Developing the connections between general practices and their communities Scottish Government 2012
• Watt G. Reflections at the Deep End. British Journal of General Practice 2012 62 (594) 6-7

2011

• Watt G. Inventing the wheel in general practice. BJGP 2011 61(592), 685.  
• Watt G. A social institution based on mutuality and trust. BJGP 2011 61, 741.
• Watt G. Time to make a difference. BJGP 2011 61(590), 569.
• Watt G. The tortoise and the hare. BJGP 2011 61 (591), 629. 2011
• Article about Deep End practices in Holyrood magazine 
• Sambale P, Mandeville B The Keppoch Medical Practice: reporting from the Deep End. BJGP 2011; 61(588):463.
• Lyon A, Watt G. Learning journeys. BJGP 2011; 61(589):519.
• Watt G. Alcohol problems in very deprived areas. BJGP 2011; 61(587):407.
• Watt G. Anticipatory care in very deprived areas. BJGP  2011; 61(584):228.
• Horton Richard. Offline: face to face, side by side Lancet 2011 377(9773):1224
• Watt G. Working with vulnerable families in deprived areas. BJGP  2011; 61(585):298.
• Watt G. Patient encounters in very deprived areas. BJGP 2011; 61 (583):146.
• Watt G. GPs at the Deep End. BJGP  2011; 61(582):66-67.