About Us
The term "Deep End" came from a cartoon representing a swimming pool analogy, with patients at the Deep End drowning called General Practitioners at the Deep End: The experience and views of general practitioners working in the most severely deprived areas of Scotland.
The Deep End project began over a decade ago in Scotland, rooted in the recognition that general practitioners working in severely deprived communities faced unique challenges often overlooked in broader healthcare strategies. Rather than approaching health inequalities through traditional academic reports or toolkits, the project took a distinct, grassroots approach by bringing together frontline general practitioners from the 100 most deprived communities across Scotland.
The project's core objective was to actively listen, capturing genuine experiences through a series of roundtable discussions. General practitioners candidly shared their daily challenges, perspectives, and aspirations for delivering healthcare in communities facing significant social and economic hardships.
The evocative term "Deep End" originated from a cartoon depicting patients struggling at the deep end of a swimming pool—symbolising the profound healthcare challenges in severely deprived areas. The image powerfully illustrated communities overwhelmed by deprivation, poverty, and associated health burdens, resonating strongly with practitioners' realities. This poignant illustration inspired the project's distinctive name: "General Practitioners at the Deep End: The experience and views of general practitioners working in the most severely deprived areas of Scotland."
Today, the Deep End concept has expanded into Wales, adapting this successful model to reflect the unique experiences and voices of Welsh general practitioners serving communities facing extreme deprivation. Embracing the original project's ethos, Deep End Cymru engages frontline practitioners through authentic storytelling and collaborative dialogue, highlighting systemic issues, validating their expertise, and advocating for practical, impactful policy solutions. By listening to and amplifying the voices of those directly providing care, Deep End Cymru aims to reshape healthcare strategies, ensuring Wales’s most vulnerable populations receive the equitable care they need and deserve.
