General practitioner deprivation payments in Northern Ireland: is the current system equitable?

The allocation of General practitioners deprivation payments has been a con tentious issue since it was first proposed. This paper examines the method of allocation of such payments in Northern Ireland. A more equitable system would be based on enumeration districts, have a lower Jarman score and a c loser relationship between Jarman score and remuneration. Unlike other part s of the UK these changes are now possible in Northern Ireland and should b e implemented.