GP remote consultations with marginalised patients and the importance of place during care: a qualitative study of the role of place in GP consultations

Background Since COVID-19 there been an increase in the use of remote consultations in General Practice in the UK. This leads to the displacement of the consultation outside of the physical GP practice, and its ‘emplacement’ elsewhere, with underexplored consequences for inequities of healthcare in marginalised groups.

Aim This paper examines the place-making demands that remote consultations make on patients, and the ways that these affect their experiences of care, with a focus on the impact on patients from marginalised groups.

Design & setting Ethnography and interview study (n=15) undertaken at three sites in London: a foodbank, a community development organisation, and a drop-in advice centre for migrants. Additionally, GPs (n=5) working at practices in London Digital Health Hub staff (n=4) and staff at fieldwork sites (n=3) were interviewed.

Method Ethnographic observation (n=84 hours) and semi-structured interviews (n=27). Interviews were conducted in-person and over the phone and data were analysed through reflexive thematic analysis.

Results The core themes emerging from the data included challenges securing privacy during remote consultations, and the loss of formal healthcare spaces as important places of care. These findings were closely tied to resource access, leading to inequities in experiences of care.

Conclusion Remote GP consultations are not “place-less” encounters, and inequities in access to suitable spaces may lead to inequities in experiences of care. Attention should be given to ensuring that patients without appropriate spaces for remote consultations are offered in-person care, or consultation times made more specific to allow for organisation of private space.