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Personal care still a priority

By Gareth Iacobucci

GPs continue to view their primary duty as providing personal care to patients, placing greater emphasis on this aspect of their work than their responsibility as commissioners.



A Pulse survey of 350 GPs shows the profession continues to place significant weight on its role in providing holistic care. Some 69% strongly agreed, and a further 11% agreed, that a good doctor-patient relationship was essential to providing high-quality general practice, with the same overall proportion believing continuity of care to be an ‘essential element' of their work.

Some 17% strongly agreed GPs had a responsibility to lead the NHS in developing and commissioning cost-effective care pathways and 28% agreed, while 15% disagreed and 10% strongly disagreed.

Dr Andrew Sikorski, a GP in Wadhurst, East Sussex, said: ‘There was a very strong push from the previous Government that undermined continuity of care and small GP practices. I don't know where the evidence for that came from. Continuity of care is vital alongside empowering the patient.'

Personal care still a priority Click here for more from our guest editor issue Guest editor Professor Martin Roland on...continuity of care