Family doctors are calling for GP consultations to be extended from 10 to 15 minutes so they have more time to discuss their health.
The average length of GP consultations in the UK is 9.2 minutes, this is one of the lowest across economically advanced nations.
According to a report, the 10 minute appointment that is standard across the NHS is no longer enough for the growing number of people who have several long-term illnesses. Longer consultations are needed to allow patients to get a good level of care however, this is only possible if staff numbers and quality increases significantly.
Prof Helen Stokes-Lampard, from the Royal College of GPs, said: It is abundantly clear that the standard 10-minute appointment is unfit for purpose. It’s increasingly rare for a patient to present with a just single health condition and we cannot deal with this adequately in 10 minutes,”
She added: “GPs want to deliver truly holistic care to our patients, considering all the physical, psychological and social factors potentially impacting on their health. But this depends on us having more time to spend with patients and the resources and people to allow us to do this.”
By 2030, face to face consultations will have to last at least 15 minutes for patients whose health needs it. Family doctors have become frustrated with after not being able to allow patients more than 10 minutes when health problems are high.
GP numbers have been falling in England, more family doctors in their 50s and 60s are taking early retirement to escape the stress of their jobs.
A spokesperson for NHS England and NHS Improvement said: “The NHS long-term plan means an extra £4.5bn is being invested in primary and community care, alongside the recruitment of 20,000 physios, therapists and other health experts to offer patient more access to specialist care in GP teams, building on success in the last year alone which has seen GPs across the country free up an extra half a million hours of time for patients.”
