Good medical Practice identifies the following as a key to partnership between a patient and a doctor: • be polite, considerate and honest • treat patients with dignity • treat each patient as an individual • respect patient’s privacy and right to confidentiality. One of the related concepts to be understood is family centredness, which can be explained as a need to explore the illness and needs of a patient so that the care provided is culturally responsive, flexible and relevant to each individual in the context of their family.
Since 2004, patients have been registered with a practice, rather than with an individual. So, the patient of today increasingly has a relationship with a general practice team rather than with ‘their own’ GP. First contact with a care professional may be provided in a range of ways, including (Jones et al 2010)[2]: • GP consultations • nurse practitioner triage • practice nurse and health visitor consultations • telephone consultations with ‘duty’ doctor • deputising services that provide out-of-hours care.
Health secretary Aneurin Bevan opens Park Hospital in Manchester. The birth of NHS. Source:nhs.uk
Christiaan Barnard, the world’s first heart transplant in 1968. Source:nhs.uk
[2] The evolving role and nature of general practice in England, The King’s Fund 2011 Research 6