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British Journal of General Practice
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Consultation length

Tim D Caroe
British Journal of General Practice 2019; 69 (687): 488. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp19X705665
Tim D Caroe
Lighthouse Medical Practice, Eastbourne. Email:
Roles: GP
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All letters are subject to editing and may be shortened. General letters can be sent to bjgpdisc{at}rcgp.org.uk (please include your postal address for publication), and letters responding directly to BJGP articles can be submitted online via eLetters. We regret we cannot notify authors regarding publication.

For submission instructions visit: bjgp.org/letters

I have read the flurry of letters concerning consultation length with dismay.1 The call to move to a 15-minute appointment system seems to be gaining ground without any clear argument other than that it is the ‘right thing to do’. May I offer a dissenting voice? The right thing to do is to give people the care they need, and the time needed to provide that care. With effective pre-consultation triage, we can customise our appointment offer to the need. At our surgery, we run 5-minute appointments through the day highly successfully. Patients can also have up to 30 minutes if needed. Having fixed 15-minute appointments is a reflection of a doctor-centred ‘we know best’ approach. Let’s be flexible, and provide what people need, not what we think is best for them.

  • © British Journal of General Practice 2019

REFERENCE

  1. 1.↵
    1. Lawson E
    (2019) Br J Gen Pract, Debrief: Consultation length matters. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp19X702473.
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British Journal of General Practice: 69 (687)
British Journal of General Practice
Vol. 69, Issue 687
October 2019
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Consultation length
Tim D Caroe
British Journal of General Practice 2019; 69 (687): 488. DOI: 10.3399/bjgp19X705665

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Consultation length
Tim D Caroe
British Journal of General Practice 2019; 69 (687): 488. DOI: 10.3399/bjgp19X705665
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