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Denis Pereira Gray and colleagues argue that a renewed focus on continuity could help reduce the pressures facing general practice and the wider health system
General practice is in crisis with falling numbers of general practitioners and low morale. For the first time, more patients are dissatisfied than are satisfied with general practice.1 National policies to deal with the crisis include the NHS workforce plan and deploying other health professionals into practices, but the potential of enhanced continuity of care to ameliorate professional and public discontent has been largely overlooked. Though definitions of general practice continuity of care differ,2 relational continuity when a patient sees the same GP repeatedly, regardless of also seeing other professionals generates trust among patients.3 Longitudinal continuity (being registered with the same practice) fosters relational continuity over time and is the most important component enhancing GPs’ understanding of the ....