TY - JOUR T1 - Reflections at the Deep End JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 6 LP - 7 DO - 10.3399/bjgp12X616210 VL - 62 IS - 594 AU - Graham Watt Y1 - 2012/01/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/62/594/6.abstract N2 - After 12 journal articles from GPs at the Deep End,1 it is timely to reflect on the early progress and immediate future of the Deep End Project.The Project has given group identity to the 100 general practices that serve the most severely deprived populations in Scotland. Scattered across 11 local NHS organisations, Deep End practices are a majority of practices in only two of these areas. Not only do most practices now know their rank in the top 100, the Deep End has also been mentioned by keynote speakers at national and international conferences, and cited in The Lancet 2,3 and BMJ.4 Correspondence from practices in England, Belgium, Ireland, and the US has given the Project an international dimension.The first meeting in 2009, bringing together 67 Deep End GPs, was cathartic.5 Assembled for the first time in the 60-year history of the NHS, there was an instant bond. It may have helped that apart from three guests there were only GPs present. The group was immediately energised and positive.Fourteen smaller meetings, costing about £70 000 and involving 73 practices in total, were subsequently organised and reported, all within 14 months, reflecting the speed with which GPs can do things when they wish.6 Twelve Deep End GPs comprised the steering group. An informal alliance of colleagues from Glasgow University, RCGP Scotland, and the International Futures Forum provided support in kind. … ER -