Patients who had a regular GP waited 18 percent longer between visits (Image: Getty)
Seeing the same GP improves patient health and reduces the workload for family doctors, according to one of the largest studies of its kind.
Patients who had a better long-term relationship with their GP waited on average 18 percent longer between visits, compared with patients who saw different doctors.
The benefits were particularly clear for older patients, those with multiple chronic illnesses, and people with mental health conditions.
However, the number of people who see the same GP – known as continuity of care – is thought to be declining.
Previous research using data from England’s GP Patient Survey found that between 2018 and 2023, the proportion who “always or almost always” saw their preferred GP dropped from 26 to 16 percent. Those who answered “never or almost never” increased from 10 to 19 percent.
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Shortages of GPs mean patients often don’t see the same practitioner (Image: Getty)
Dr Harshita Kajaria-Montag, lead author of the latest study, who is now based at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University in the US, said: “The benefits of continuity of care are obvious from a relationship point of view.
“If you’re a patient with complex health needs, you don’t want to have to explain your whole health history at every appointment.
“If you have a regular doctor who’s familiar with your history, it’s a far more efficient use of time, for doctor and patient.”
The study was carried out by experts at Cambridge University and INSEAD business school and published in the journal Management Science.
They analysed more than 10 million GP consultations in 381 practices in England over a period of 11 years.
GPs carried out 25.8m consultations in December (Image: Getty)
Doctors worked more efficiently when treating regular patients, the analysis found. A report said: “They are likely to keep them healthier, which reduces the demand for consultations and increases their capacity to serve more patients.”
GPs in England carried out 25.8 million consultations in December, two-thirds of which were face-to-face.
The researchers estimated there would be a 5 percent reduction in consultations if all practices in England were providing the level of continuity of care of the best 10 percent of practices.
They added: “Importantly, if patients receiving care from their regular doctors have longer intervals between consultations without requiring longer consultations, then continuity of care can potentially allow physicians to expand their patient list without increasing their time commitment.”
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Co-author Professor Stefan Scholtes, from Cambridge Judge Business School, said “getting it right the first time” will reduce future workloads by preventing repeat visits.
He added: “Better health translates into less demand for future consultations. Prioritising continuity of care is crucial in enhancing productivity.”
Dr Rachel Ward, a Oxfordshire GP and member of the Rebuild General Practice campaign, said seeing the same GP was better for patients and the NHS.
She added: “I became a GP because I wanted to be a family doctor – to treat my patients from cradle to grave, to know them well enough to be able to detect ailments which a stranger perhaps couldn’t.
“Continuity of care has been the foundation of general practice – but decades of neglect means there are not enough doctors to meet patient demand.”
A survey for Rebuild GP found 57% of patients wanted to see the same doctor each time. Dr Ward added: “We need urgent investment in general practice to help us retain our doctors, so that we can give our patients the life-long continuity of care they deserve.”
Dr Victoria Tzortziou-Brown, vice chair of the Royal College of GPs, said continuity of care was “highly valued by GPs and patients alike”.
She added: “Currently, the intense workload and workforce pressures GPs are facing – as well as political agendas prioritising speedy access to GP services above all else – greatly limit the level of continuity we can offer.
“The average number of patients per fully qualified GP is now 2,294, meaning each GP is, on average, responsible for 260 more patients than they were six years ago.”
Dr Tzortziou-Brown warned the situation was unsustainable and made seeing the same GP “practically impossible”.
She said: “Before we can offer greater levels of continuity, we need to address the clear gaps in our workforce – we’ve lost 642 fully qualified, full-time GPs in the past five years – and provide support for the myriad of other challenges the profession faces including the rising rates of patients presenting with chronic, complex health conditions.”