The Government is sending a physical poster to each practice, reminding them of Jess’s rule with the intention that they “boost patient safety by prompting doctors to revisit patient records, challenge initial assumptions and remain alert to warning signs that might otherwise be missed.”
The campaign encourages GP to rethink a diagnosis when a patient presents three or more times with the same complaint, particularly if symptoms unexpectedly persist, escalate or remain unexplained. Practices are invited to display the posters and adopt the ‘three strikes and we rethink’ approach, but there is no accompanying change to the GP contract or requirements from regulators. Full details from NHS England and links to the posters are here.
The initiative is named after Jessica Brady who died aged 27 from cancer, after her diagnosis was missed despite being seen in her GP surgery over 20 times. It is supported by the RCGP who also have a learning module for GPs as well as several patient groups. The launch of the initiative saw widespread media coverage so practices should be aware that queries from patients may arise as a result.