Postcode lotteries in public health--the NHS Health Checks Programme in North West London.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Postcode lotteries in health refer to differences in health care between different geographic areas. These have been previously associated with clinical services. However there has been little documentation of postcode lotteries relating to preventative health care services. This paper describes a postcode lottery effect in relation to the NHS Health Checks Programme (a national cardiovascular screening programme in England) in eight PCTs in the North West sector of London.

Methods

A descriptive cross-sectional analysis of the Health Checks Programme was carried out in eight PCTs in North West London using a structured data-collecting instrument.

Results

The analysis found variation in the implementation of the national Health Checks Programme in terms of:

SUBMITTER: Graley CE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3195760 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature