There has been very little change in the proportion of GP consultations for 2001 compared with those reported in 1998 and 2000. In 2001, 11% of males and 16% of females reported consulting a GP during the 14 days prior to interview. Similar to previous years, the difference between men and women was particularly marked in the 16 to 44 age group (8% compared with 15%). Many consultations by women of this age are likely to be associated with birth control or pregnancy which could account for some of the difference. The difference was also apparent among those aged 45 to 64, 13% of men compared with 18% of women of this age reported consulting a GP during the 14 days prior to interview.

• The likelihood of having consulted a GP was highest for adults aged 75 and over, at 22% of men and 20% of women.
• The average number of consultations per year was the same as in 1998 and 2000; 4 for males and 5 for females.

Overall there was no change from 2000 in the proportions of consultations taking place at the surgery, at home or by telephone. Trend data from 1971 however, shows a reduction in the number of NHS GP consultations that take place at home and an increase in surgery and phone consultations.

• The proportion of consultations taking place in respondent’s homes has fallen from 22% in 1971 to only 5% in 2001.
• In 1971, 73% of consultations took place in the surgery, but by 2001 this figure had increased to 85%.

GP consultations over the phone have shown an increase over time. In 1971 only 4% of GP consultations took place over the phone, at a time when less than half of households owned a phone. During the 1980s and early 1990s, the proportion of GP consultations on the phone was between 7% and 8% and has remained at 10% since 1998.

Table 7.21 presents the percentage of consultations by site of consultation, and Table 7.22 shows the percentage of males and females of different ages consulting a doctor by site of consultation. The distributions within each table are fairly similar and the following figures refer to Table 7.22. Older people were more likely than younger people to report home consultations. Of people aged less than 65, between 1% and 4% reported having a consultation at home in the two weeks before interview compared with 6% of people aged 65 to 74 and 20% of those aged 75 and over. One reason for this may be that it is more difficult for older people to get to surgeries and health centres.

A higher proportion of males living in households whose household reference person was in the routine and manual group consulted a doctor in the two weeks prior to interview than of those in intermediate group households and managerial and professional group households (13%, 10% and 10% respectively). These differences were not found among females.

Economically inactive men were over twice as likely to consult a doctor in the two weeks before interview than those who were working. The differences were evident in each age group.

• Men who were economically inactive had an average of 6 consultations per year, whereas those who were working had an average of 3.

Economically inactive women were also more likely to consult a doctor than those who were working, 20% compared to 14%.

Among people who had consulted a GP in the two weeks before interview, those living in households where the household reference person was in the routine and manual group were more likely to receive a prescription than those in managerial and professional households. Overall, men and women in the oldest age group (65 and over) and women aged 45 to 64 were more likely to receive a prescription than those in younger age groups.

Similar to previous years, only a small percentage of GP consultations were with private doctors: 3% of all consultations.

Table 7.26