Accessing your GP: Living longer and continuity of care

Continuity of care saves lives: working with your GP

• Continuity of care can increase your own health and life expectancy

• How can healthcare professionals, as patients, ensure continuity of their own care?

• What can we do to increase continuity of relational care for our patients?

The evidence base for continuity of care and how it reduces morbidity and mortality is increasing and consistent (Pereira Gray 2018 and 2025). A dose response relationship has now been demonstrated (Sandvik 2022) with a

reduction in morbidity, mortality and emergency care use.

Continuity of care improves access to GPs, reduces workload, improves patient satisfaction as well as satisfaction in staff and health professionals. See the “Continuity Counts” Exeter GP website. The Evidence | Continuity benefits patients www.continuitycounts.com/the-evidence.

In this session we will discuss how you, as a patient, could improve your own healthcare by increasing continuity of relational care with your GP. And how we can do this for all patients in both primary and secondary care.

Continuity of care matters but is in decline across all aspects of our lives. It is time to address this issue nationally and internationally before it is too late.

Mark Rickenbach

GP Educator and Researcher

Clinical Policy Representative RCGP for Continuity of Care

Previous Associate Dean and Professor Healthcare