Continuity of Care

Continuity means care that feels personal. Seeing a GP who knows you and your history makes consultations more effective and satisfying. While any GP can read your medical notes, finding the right details in a computer record takes time and can miss important context.

A GP who already knows you can understand your current problem in the bigger picture of your health and life. This often means:

• More accurate diagnoses
• Better treatment plans and long-term condition management
• Fewer unnecessary tests or referrals

Research shows that patients with good continuity of care are:

• More satisfied with their care
• More likely to receive high-quality treatment
• Less likely to need A&E or hospital admission
• More likely to live longer

No. Continuity does not slow access to urgent care, and your safety is always our priority. Every patient request goes through a triage process. If you need to be seen sooner than your named GP is available, we will book you with another GP.

Continuity mainly applies to routine care, such as reviewing test results or managing ongoing health conditions. For urgent problems, we will always make sure you are seen promptly.

Your safety is always our priority. If you feel worse while waiting for to see your named GP, please let us know so we can reassess your needs.

• Submit another online appointment request form to update us on your symptoms.
• If you cannot do this yourself, call the practice, and we will help you over the phone.

If your symptoms become severe or you feel very unwell, please call NHS 111 outside of our opening hours or 999 in an emergency.

To find out who your named GP is, please contact the practice.

Your Named GP is one of our doctors who will oversee your overall care. This means:

• They will get to know you and your health history.
• They will help make sure your care is consistent and safe.
• They will review letters and updates from other health professionals, such as hospital specialists.

Whenever possible, routine consultations will be booked with your named GP.

We hope you will find all our GPs provide excellent care. However, you do have the right to ask for a different doctor to be your named GP. Please only request this if you have strong reasons, as continuity works best when you stay with the same GP. If you do want to change, we will make reasonable efforts to accommodate your request.

How to contact us to let us know your preference

If you would like to see the benefits of continuity in your care, you can:

• Book early for routine care.
• Keep contact details up to date.
• Ask for your named GP whenever possible. Seeing the same GP helps them understand your health history and personal circumstances, which leads to better decisions and better care.
• Share full information about your health and life: The more your GP knows about you as a whole person, the easier it is for them to give advice and treatment that fits your needs.

Continuity means fewer repeated explanations, more accurate diagnoses, and care that feels personal and consistent.

In the past, most patients had a regular “family doctor” they saw for many years. Today, this is less common because practices are bigger, patient numbers have grown, and GP workloads have changed. Many patients now see different GPs each time they visit.

If nothing changes, continuity will keep falling, and so will its benefits for patients.

Our patients told us that continuity of care is important to them. We are working hard to respond to this feedback and improve continuity.

It is also a priority in 2025/26 NHS GP contract changes for all practices to improve continuity of care for people with complex health needs who benefit most from seeing the same GP. This means GP practices across the country are focusing on improving how often patients see the same GP.

We have taken several steps to make it easier for patients to see the same GP and experience the benefits of continuity:

• Our Community Care Team supports our most vulnerable patients by ensuring their care is joined up and consistent.
• Our Care Navigator Team helps patients choose options that promote continuity when booking.
• Better support for patients with access needs; for example, people whose first language is not English or those with disabilities, so continuity works for everyone.
• Recruiting more GPs and healthcare professionals to provide capacity for more continuity.
• Focusing on staff retention. We are investing in clinical training and mentoring for new GPs, so patients can build long-term relationships with their doctors.

Continuity improves safety, quality, and patient experience. These changes help make that possible.

We are committed to making continuity a core part of your care. Here is what we are focusing on:

• Listening to patient's feedback and communicating well about continuity and why it matters.
• Providing continuity for patients who will benefit most from seeing the same GP.
• Creating continuity leadership through a practice continuity lead and continuity champions within our teams to keep this a priority.
• Learning from others to adopt best practices from other organisations and professional bodies.

Continuity improves safety, quality, and patient experience. These steps help us deliver that.