7.7 Diving into the Deep End - The Aural Apothecary Analyses: The Inverse Care Law.

In this special episode we ‘Dive in at the Deep End’ and examine in-depth the Inverse Care Law. What is it, why does it matter to medicines optimisation - and what can we do about it?

The Inverse Care Law is a term first defined by the Welsh GP Dr Julian Tudor Hart over 50 years to describe how, perversely, people who most need health care are the least likely to get it. A law that sadly is as true now as it was then. Will we finally get to hear about the day Jamie met Julian Tudor Hart…?

To help us in our discussion we are re-joined by AA Alumni Dr Karen Sankey alongside Dr Beth Winn. Regular listeners will remember Karen from series 2,  a GP who specialises in Health Inclusion and trauma based coaching. Karen is passionate about tackling social justice and health inequalities and we find out what has been happening since we spoke to her last. Dr Beth Winn is a GP working at Charlotte Keel Medical Practice, one of the largest and most deprived practices in Bristol. Like Karen, she is passionate about improving equity in healthcare and has worked with marginalised patient groups in India, Malawi, New Zealand and South Africa.

Charlotte Keel Medical Practice is part of the GPs at the Deep End initiative which strives to reduce health inequalities through providing peer support, advocacy, training and research opportunities to primary care clinicians working in disadvantaged areas. We delve into the experiences of staff working at the deep end supported by the following article from the British Journal of General Practice https://bjgp.org/content/74/749/e797. 

To support our discussion we look at The Health Foundation Paper ‘Tackling the Inverse Care Law’ https://www.health.org.uk/reports-and-analysis/reports/tackling-the-inverse-care-law.

The original article penned by the great man himself in The Lancet can be read here: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(71)92410-X/fulltext  

As with all of our guests, Beth shares with us her Memory Evoking Medicine, a career anthem and book that has influenced her career or life. Is the choice a drug? You can decide, but it is a game-changer for Women’s health. 

The Apothecaries are on the road again! Come and see our next live show at the Clinical Pharmacy Congress on the 10th May in London. Book your tickets and find out more here: https://www.pharmacycongress.co.uk/london 

Don’t forget to check out Steve’s impressive TV debut where he describes the role of a Clinical Pharmacist to none other than Professor Green on BBC Morning Live. This is a must watch for anyone who wants to understand this role and the impact of polypharmacy. A new career beckons… You can watch it here: https://www.rpharms.com/about-us/news/details/polypharmacy-featured-on-bbcs-morning-live. 

You can listen to the Aural Apothecary playlist here; https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3OsWj4w8sxsvuwR9zMXgn5?si=tiHXrQI7QsGtSQwPyz1KBg 

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