Collings report on general practice in England in 1950: unrecognised, pioneering piece of British social research?

Abstract

Collings's grim description of postwar general practice in England and his sombre analysis of its prospects created an immediate sensation. In addition to its value as a historical document, the report is also regarded as a turning point in the postwar history of British general practice. The study is also interesting for another reason, which has not been acknowledged: Collings merits recognition as a pioneer ofethnographic research at a time when it was largely unknown elsewhere in British social research.

The method of Balint group work and its contribution to research in general practice

“…1 Both were outsiders, from disciplines allied to general practice, both were ruthless in describing what they saw, and both were influential in mobilizing change. They stood out because the general practice which I saw emerged clearly from what they wrote.…”

“…4 Balint groups consist of GPs that meet on a weekly basis for up to 3 years to discuss and follow up cases from their everyday work. 1 The work of Balint groups has provided conceptual stepping stones for further studies which aim to move on from explanation or identifying association to the testing of an intervention or prediction, for example, a randomized trial of the effect of consulting style on patient satisfaction. 3 -6 The analyst leading the group is skilled in observing what goes on between people, both in the consulting room and in the group.…”

“…3 -6 The analyst leading the group is skilled in observing what goes on between people, both in the consulting room and in the group. 1 The Balint group is a way of capturing and amplifying the observations of doctor-patient interaction revealed to the group. 7 The early work by Balint groups identified new phenomena and conceptual definitions which had not previously been seen or captured, and explored them through the case material.…”

An Australian reflects on the Collings report 70 years on

“…Joe Collings, as he preferred to be called, conducted the first evaluative research on general practice published in the English world. 2 Challenging the smugness of British medicine, Collings was denied due recognition with his approach labelled unorthodox, and his sampling of English general practice considered fatally skewed. Joe was portrayed as a brash, inexperienced Australian influenced by American concepts with limited experience of British medicine.…”

Qualitative thesis explored social dislocation and health

“…EDITOR,--Roland Petchey discusses J S Collings's report on general practice in England in 1950 1. In 1939, a decade before Collings's survey, I wrote my MD thesis on the conditions of the lives of the working population in a new district in relation to health.…”