GPS’ 10 minutes cannot tackle ‘tidal wave’ of multiple illnesses

DOCTORS are struggling with a tidal wave of young patients suffering multi- ple physical problems fuelled by unhealthy lifestyles, experts say.

Diseases that were once almost unheard of at a young age are increasingly being diagnosed while the number of older patients with at least two conditions has risen by almost 50 per cent in a decade, according to the Academy of Medical Sciences.

A report by the academy warns that the average GP consultation – at just 10 minutes – cannot deal with growing numbers of patients with multiple problems. One in three Britons aged over 50 suffer more than one health issue at the same time, its authors said, amounting to at least 15million people.

Prof Stephen Macmahon, chairman of the academy’s working group, said obesity was fuelling illnesses, such as diabetes and heart disease, at ever younger ages. The academy says the NHS was not set up to care for the needs of rising numbers suffering chronic conditions often fuelled by unhealthy lifestyles. Millennials are set to be the fattest generation on record, with obesity causing nine in 10 cases of Type 2 diabetes.

Prof Melanie Davies, from the University of Leicester, said: “There are more than 500 children with Type 2 diabetes. This was almost unheard of just 20 years ago.” Prof Macmahon claimed GP consultations were often too short to allow proper care of those with several complaints. “We are facing a tidal wave of patients with multiple long-term health conditions,” he said. “It’s difficult to manage a patient with half a dozen diseases in 10 minutes.”

The average 65-year-old is likely to have three or more conditions, rising to between five and seven among those over 85. Dr Lynne Corner, from Newcastle University, said health services needed to reorganise to cope with multiple health conditions in individuals.