What is already known in this area: Recent government policy has emphasised the important role that GPs have to play in addressing health inequalities; The RCGP curriculum asserts the importance of gaining a better understanding of health inequalities during GP training; GP training in Scotland continues to take place in disproportionately affluent areas.
What this work adds: Recent government policy has emphasised the important role that GPs have to play in addressing health inequalities; The RCGP curriculum asserts the importance of gaining a better understanding of health inequalities during GP training; GP training in Scotland continues to take place in disproportionately affluent areas.
Suggestions for future research: This is the first study to look at attitudes of GP trainers towards health inequalities and to explore their ideas for changes in training that may address health inequalities; There were noticeable differences in the views of GP trainers – in terms of both the causes of health inequalities and the role of primary care in tackling health inequalities – depending on whether they were based in more affluent or more deprived practices; Practice rotations were suggested by all groups as a means to give GP trainees exposure to the particular challenges of both affluent and deprived practice populations.
