Hospital admission rates linked to social deprivation, not quality of GP care

Researchers in London have identified a link between increased hospital admission rates for chronic diseases and high levels of material deprivation in the capital.

The research published in this month's Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, shows how admission rates for chronic diseases such as asthma and diabetes are linked to the level of material deprivation in the surrounding area, and not to poor care by GPs serving them.

The team from Imperial College London, London Health Laboratory and University College Hospitals NHS Trust, London, looked at admissions rates for asthma, diabetes, heart failure, hypertension and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) across 31 primary care trusts (PCT) in London, and compared these with measures of underlying ill health and material deprivation.

They found that admission rates varied enormously between different primary care trusts. For example, Richmond PCT had one of the lowest admission rates for asthma, with just 76.4 per 100,000 in 2001, while City and Hackney and Hounslow PCT's had nearly 190 admitted per 100,000. For diabetes, admission rates varied from 38 to 183 per 100,000. The researchers also found that provision of specialist chronic disease centres was helpful in reducing admission rates for some conditions.

Dr Sonia Saxena, from Imperial College London, who led the research, said: "This research shows there is a definite link between higher hospital admission rates and increased material deprivation, with enormous variations being found between different PCT's. More importantly it also illustrates that high admission rates for chronic diseases may not be down to poor primary care. If a PCT is in a materially deprived area, higher admission rates for chronic diseases could be inevitable."