NHS GP's say they are misdiagnosing patients because consultation times are too short. A survey of family doctors found more than one in three said they had failed to properly diagnose cases because they did not have enough time to fully assess them. Typically, the time slot to see a patient is around 10 minutes.
NHS GP's say they are misdiagnosing patients because consultation times are too short. A survey of family doctors found more than one in three said they had failed to properly diagnose cases because they did not have enough time to fully assess them. Typically, the time slot to see a patient is around 10 minutes.
The poll of 200 GPs found that 95 per cent of those surveyed said the time allocated was too short. More than 70 per cent of those polled said they needed at least 15 minutes per person to properly assess them, with 30 per cent saying at least 20 minutes were needed. The research, conducted by law firm Slater and Gordon, found that more time to see patients was the biggest priority cited by private GPs, when asked about what would improve their working lives.
Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, Chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said: "It has been clear for some time that the standard 10-minute appointment is no longer fit for purpose. “As GPs, we want to be able to deliver truly holistic care to our patients,” she said.
“But when you consider that very few patients now come to us with just one health-related condition, and that we are increasingly up against the clock in consultations, this is simply not possible and in some cases it could be unsafe.”
The RCGP has warned of shortages of 6,000 GPs.
