Patients ‘finding it increasingly difficult to see their own GP’

PATIENTS COULD be missing out the benefits of regular contact with GPs who are familiar with their health needs because it is becoming increasingly difficult to see a family doctor, a study has found.

Research found that people have been finding it harder to get an appointment with their own GP compared to five years ago.

Maintaining a relationship with a known doctor has been linked to greater patient satisfaction, better health outcomes and fewer hospital admissions.

Yet the decline in continuity of care has been is “marked and widespread”, according to a study published in the

which looked at patient survey data from 6,243 GP practices in England.

The report authors called for more research to examine the factors behind the decline.

Professor Kamila Hawthorne of the Royal College of GPs said: “It’s disappointing but understandable to read that, according to this paper, continuity of care is reducing.

“But GPs across the country are striving to provide continuity, even if not in the traditional sense.

“Some practices, for example, are using innovative approaches to continuity of care whereby patients might not always see the same GP, but they will see, and build relationships with, one of a small team who will all have access to their medical records.”

Health and Social Care Secretary Jeremy Hunt has pledged that people aged over 75 would have a named accountable GP to take responsibility for the co-ordination of their care.

The Government has pledged an extra £2.4bn a year for general practice and 5,000 more GPs by 2020.