Patients should always be able to see same GP

DEADLY delays in the diagnosis of serious health conditions could be avoided if patients could keep seeing the same GP, according to a report published today.

- Hanna Geissler

The Health Services Safety Investigations Body will recommend that practices are supported to deliver greater continuity of care.

This would allow patients to build a closer relationship with their doctors so they do not have to repeatedly explain their medical histories.

Better management of information to allow other staff to deliver care when needed is also recommended.

The report highlighted the case of a 67-year-old patient called Brian, who started having back pain two years after he was treated for cancer.

Brian saw two out-of-hours GPs, six practice GPs, a nurse and a physiotherapist at the surgery over the course of eight months, before he was finally diagnosed with breast cancer.

Breakdown

And by then the disease had already spread to his spine.