In their editorial, Silverman and Kinnersley present a strong case for moving on from the 10-minute consultation.1 In 2011 an electronic ‘consultation length’ survey of all UK GP trainees (ST1–ST4) was undertaken by the RCGP Associates in Training committee. One of the key questions within the electronic survey was, ‘what consultation length does your trainer offer for routine booked appointments?’
A total of 1492 trainees completed the survey (∼15.8% out of ∼9451 trainees contacted) providing proxy evidence of current consultation lengths offered by their GP trainers. The results of the survey are presented in Table 1.
Table 1 GP trainer consultation length for routine booked appointments and trainee preference
When asked ‘what would be the ideal consultation length be for routine booked appointments?’ only 12.5% of trainees thought that 10 minutes was adequate. In contrast 55.9% believed that 15 minutes was needed. Reasons for trainees selecting 15 minutes included: ‘time for preventative care’, ‘thorough exploration of presenting problems’, and ‘greater patient satisfaction’.
This survey suggests that even in those practices that meet the quality standards for GP training, 15 minutes is still far from the norm. Yet, at the same time, it would appear that the next generation of GPs would agree with Silverman and Kinnersley that we should indeed call time on the 10-minute consultation.
We are encouraged that trainees largely recognise that longer consultations are needed in general practice. This will undoubtedly need reorganisation within practices, but we have been able to offer 15-minute appointments as standard for 8 years in our practice with huge benefits for ourselves, and we are confident, for patients' too.2
There is now substantial continued evidence that longer consultations can improve quality of care.3 With evidence and the opinions of younger GPs coming together we believe the RCGP and other NHS policy makers should unequivocally advocate 15-minute consultations.
- © British Journal of General Practice 2012
