Is 10 minutes a sufficient time for a GP consultation?

A 2015 survey was carried out by the Commonwealth Fund on behalf of the Health Foundation, with a sample size of 12,049 primary care physicians where 1,001 of those represented the UK, evidenced that only 26% of UK’s GPs are satisfied with their time to spend per patient. This is a stark contrast to an average of 59% physicians who are satisfied with their consultation time in the 10 other countries included in the survey. This statistic is paired with the fact that only 8% of GP appointments in the UK are more than 15 minutes long each, whereas 73% of GP appointments in other nations spend more than 15 minutes for their consultation. This low rate of patient-care interaction is not due to the UK having a higher rate of healthy population than other developing countries such as Australia, Canada, France or Switzerland, but due to an increase in patient expectation. This is due to many factors such as a shift of care from secondary to primary care; an ageing population with comorbidities, and an increasing rate of respondents’ intention to leave general practice, due to unsustainable pressure.

It is important to note that the 10-minute guide is not a contractual agreement set by the NHS, but one that is up to the GPs to set the duration of appointments. Many GPs do recognise that for a holistic approach to patient care, a good consultation can usually take up to 15 minutes. However, this means cutting down appointment slots by a third, causing longer waiting lists and patients waiting longer for referrals. During the 2015 survey, it concluded that the average consultation time in the UK is 10.6 minutes and this has decreased to 9.2 minutes in 2019. The average number of problems discussed per GP consultation is 2.5, according to a BMJ report, and if a patients’ problem/s are not effectively addressed within the 10-minute appointment, it means the patients’ concerns are not adequately dealt with and they leave dissatisfied. This takes longer than 10 minutes which then has a knock-off effect on the waiting list as doctors work overtime or patients are told to make a follow-up appointment. This ultimately means prolonging the patients’ concerns and delays effective treatment that could potentially be for a life-threatening diagnosis.?

However, the 10 minutes long appointment is plenty for many patients who need a simple blood test. For these occasions, patients may not feel that they are being rushed. Standardising this 10-minute rule per consultation means that more people can be booked for an appointment per day, thus more? people receive treatment. This has been proven useful in delivering more appointments to meet the growing needs of the patient population.?

On the contrary, this 10-minutes standard means that ‘GPs putting patients at risk by rushing them out in 10 min appointments’. According to ‘Mail Online’, only 51% of UK adults were able to discuss ‘everything’ or ‘most things’ during their last appointment with a family doctor and 76% of respondents (according to Mail Online) thought appointments should be longer than 10 minutes. The 10 minutes standard considers the time taken for patients to come in and share their concerns, time to undress for a physical examination, time for doctors to read about previous notes, time for the GP to think about each problem and find the right action plan or treatment.

Some surgeries have resorted to using an official policy – ‘one problem per consultation’ to ensure patients stick to the brief and so that the doctor is able to focus on one problem, rather than having to prioritise a list of problems the patient lists out. This can then mean that health issues may escalate, or risks get overlooked entirely and more people resort to visiting the A&E.?

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Advice to make the most out of an appointment include making a list of what you want to discuss, descriptive details of symptoms, including when they started and what makes them better or worse. Include any questions you want to ask at the beginning of the appointment, rather than waiting until the end to mention another concern.?

Written by Tasfiha

Moderated by Adelene

References:?

The Health Foundation (2016) Under Pressure [online] Available at: file:///C:/Users/khoko/Downloads/UnderPressure.pdf (Accessed: 29 September 2024)

BMJ (2019) Helen Salisbury: The 10 minute appointment [online] Available at: https://www.bmj.com/content/365/bmj.l2389 (Accessed: 29 September 2024)

RCGP (2023) GPs need more time with patients – but short appointments aren’t always inappropriate [online] Available at: https://www.rcgp.org.uk/News/Lib-Dem-Consultation-Response (Accessed: 6 October 2024)

Mail Online (2024) GPs putting patient at risk by rushing them out in 10 min appointments, damning survey reveals [online] Available at: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13802677/Slapdash-GPs-putting-patients-risk-rushing-10-min-appointments-damning-survey-reveals.html(Accessed: 11 October 2024)

Independent (2024) Ten-minute appointments: It’s not surprising patients have unfinished business with their GP [online] Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gp-appointments-surgery-doctor-patients-health-b2605730.html (Accessed: 11 October 2024)

The Maltings Surgery (no date) How to get the most from your GP – in less than 10 minutes [online] Available at: https://www.maltingssurgery.co.uk/clinics-and-services/appointments-tests-referrals/appointments-with-the-doctors/how-to-get-the-most-from-your-gp-in-less-than-10-minutes/#:~:text=Get%20it%20all%20out%20at,and%20three%20is%20the%20maximum. (Accessed: 11 October 2024)