The general practitioner in the inner city: a survey of a London health district.

A survey of general practitioners in Tower Hamlets health district in London is reported. The findings indicate a caring and concerned group of doctors who are working under considerable difficulty. The pattern of general practice in this district is dissimilar to the rest of the country, with infrequent use of attached staff, poor accommodation, more single-handed practices, and a predominance of elderly doctors trained overseas and either approaching or beyond conventional retirement age. Some suggestions are made towards the future development of the family doctor service.