Dr Julian Tudor Hart passes away aged 91
Pioneering GP Dr Julian Tudor Hart passed away at the weekend aged 91.
The GP, who was born in South Wales, where he later practiced, first introduced the concept of the ‘inverse care law’; the principle that the availability of good medical or social care tends to vary inversely with the need of the population served.
Dr Tudor Hart worked at the Archie Cochrane led MRC Epidemiology Unit - where he met his wife and research partner Mary – and this background in epidemiology taught him to study how his patients’ lifestyles caused their ill health and worked with them to improve this.
In 1961 he moved to the coal mining community of Glyncorrwg, South Wales and set up in practice, where he stayed for 30 years.
Pulse featured him last week as one of the GPs who shaped the NHS in the run-up to the NHS 70th birthday this week.
A number of prominent GPs have paid tribute to Dr Tudor Hart over the weekend, including Professor Graham Watt, whose ‘Deep End’ project in Glasgow was heavily influenced by Dr Tudor Hart, and the leader of the opposition, Jeremy Corbyn:
Julian Tudor Hart has gone from the world but he will never be gone from the work, lives and dreams of general practitioners.
— graham watt (@grahamwatt4) July 1, 2018
My thoughts are with the family and friends of Dr Julian Tudor Hart who sadly died today.
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) July 1, 2018
Julian was a pioneer of quality primary care and President of the Socialist Health Association. We will continue to be inspired by his work to campaign against inequalities in healthcare.
“Primary health care is doing simple things well, for large numbers of people, few of whom feel ill.” - Julian Tudor Hart, who died today.
— Trisha Greenhalgh #FBPE (@trishgreenhalgh) July 1, 2018
His Inverse Care Law: People most in need of healthcare are least likely to receive it.
(Now more than ever)
RIP
Readers' comments (5)
Azeem Majeed | GP Partner/Principal02 Jul 2018 10:09am
Very sorry to hear about the death of Dr Julian Tudor Hart.
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Vinci Ho | GP Partner/Principal02 Jul 2018 10:13am
RIP
The most honourable person passed away in the week of NHS’s 70th birthday .
I believe there is a meaning , sacrosanct .
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CountingTheDays | GP Partner/Principal02 Jul 2018 12:35pm
He will be turning in his grave at the sad demise of a once great profession.
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Zafar Iqbal | GP Partner/Principal02 Jul 2018 1:38pm
He was decades ahead of his time looking at mortality rates within primary care , structured care for long term conditions and reducing health inequalities. My public health work in primary care was inspired by him.
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Jeremy Hunt's lost hamster | GP Partner/Principal02 Jul 2018 3:48pm
Very sad to read this
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