GP and community nurse co-location in a disadvantaged community

People living in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities have a high burden of disease but often receive ‘inverse care’. We explored a model of general practitioner and community nurse co-location in a disadvantaged community in south-west Sydney, Australia. Co-location resulted in increased referrals from doctors to the community nurse, including an increase in referrals related to psychosocial issues. This small study suggests integrated primary health care might have an impact on specialised state-based psychosocial health services.