On-going
Funder: Leverhulme / ESRC
Staff: Carol Propper, George Leckie, Michael Damiani (Kings Fund) and Jennifer Dixon (Kings Fund)
Current policy in the National Health Service in England seeks to extend the choice of provider of care for patients. There is currently no general knowledge on the extent to which patients travel for health care. In this research we are examining the extent to which individual travel for care, be using data on all impatient admissions in England in 2003/4 (from HES). We will explore the extent to which travel patterns differ by age, gender, location, deprivation and condition. We will also examine the impact of choice pilots on travel patterns. Initial work shows individuals located in more rural areas, not unexpectedly, travel further for all types of admission. However, in all areas there is a small group of individuals who travel long distances, particularly for elective care, and these individuals are located in most parts of the country. There is a strong gradient in travel by ward deprivation: while on average individuals living in poorer areas travel only a little less than all others, very few people in these areas travel long distances. This is not due to availability of facilities and contrasts with more affluent areas where a small minority of individuals travel long distances for care.
