Advocacy

Deep End Report 20 comprises the Deep End “Manifesto”, with a six point programme, with the main aim of mitigating existing health inequalities in Scotland by reducing their severity and slowing their progression in general practice.

REPORT 20 What can NHS Scotland do to prevent/reduce health inequalities? (April 2013)
Summary | Full report

A letter along this lines was published in The Herald prior to the 2011 Scottish general election, entitled “our health service should be at is best where it is needed most”

See page 34 in 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]

Deep End submissions were also made in response to the Scottish Government consultation on Creating a Fairer Scotland, and the City of Glasgow Health and Social Care Partnership Integrated Joint Board Draft Strategic Plan.

Response to Scottish Government consultation on Creating a Fairer Scotland August 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

Details of lobbying activities during 2009-15 are provided in the Backward Look paper circulated prior to the 3rd National Deep End Conference in November 2015.

GPs at the Deep End: looking back (2009 to 2015)

These activities are also summarised in a powerpoint presentation.

Political lobbying by Deep End GPs

The latest lobbying document is

REPORT 30 A role for Members of the Scottish Parliament in addressing inequalities in healthcare in Scotland (Nov 2016)

Engagement with the political process

The Deep End steering group has regularly engaged with:

  • Health Ministers (Alex Neil MSP, Michael Mathieson MSP, Jamie Hepburn MSP)
  • Politicians (Aileen Macleod MSP, Neil Findlay MSP, Richard Simpson MSP, Jackie Baillie MSP, John Mason MSP, Bob Doris MSP, Patricia Ferguson MSP,
  • Senior civil servants (Angiolina Foster, Andrew Scott)
  • Deputy Directors of the Primary Care Division, Scottish Government Health Department (Frank Strang, Lesley Fraser, David Thomson)
  • Chairs of Scottish Council of RCGP Scotland (Drs Ken Lawton, John Gillies, Miles Mack)
  • Chairs of the Scottish General Practitioner Committee, BMA Scotland (Dr Alan McDevitt)
  • Medical civil servants (Dr Harry Burns, CMO; Dr Frances Elliott, deputy CMO, Dr John Nugent, SMO; Dr Bill Gunnyeon, CMO DWP)
  • Visits to Deep End practices (Govan, Possilpark and Drumchapel) have been arranged for
    - Alex Neil MSP
    - Aileen Macleod MSP
    - Bob Doris MSP
    - Professor Mike Pringle (President of RCGP UK)
    - Professor Aidan Halligan (Well North, University of Manchester)
    - Dr Bill Gunnyeon, CMO DWP

The Deep End steering group has been represented on the RCGP UK Standing Group on Health Inequalities via individual contributions from Professor Una Macleod, Dr Andrea Williamson and Dr David Blane.