Helen Salisbury: The 10 minute appointment

GP appointments in the UK last on average 9.2 minutes, a considerably shorter time than in other rich nations, and there’s no evidence that this is because our patients are healthier or have fewer questions. A recent report by the Royal College of General Practitioners suggested that all appointments should be at least 15 minutes long.1 Very few GPs feel as though they can comfortably do a good job and provide holistic care in a 10 minute appointment. For some of my patients it takes more than a minute to walk the …