Longer GP appointments ‘offer cost-effectiveness benefits’

A new study has highlighted the benefits of offering half-hour GP appointments instead of standard ten-minute consultations.

The research included 152 patients with multimorbidity – mainly patients in their early 50s with five chronic conditions each – at eight Scottish GP practices, four of which were randomly assigned to undertake the new CARE Plus extended appointment format.

CARE Plus provides patients with structured consultations of between 30 and 45 minutes, during which the GP deals with all of the patient's issues, devises care plans and goals, and arranges follow-up appointments.

Results after one year showed that patients receiving the consultations CARE Plus consultations generally experienced reductions in negative wellbeing and higher scores in terms of quality of life.

This format cost 929 pounds more per patient than standard GP services, but resulted in a gain of 12,224 pounds per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) – within the 20,000 pounds per QALY range used to decide whether new interventions should be adopted by the NHS.

The researchers concluded: "‘Enabling practices in deprived areas to provide longer and more patient-centred care for multimorbid patients may protect quality of life in a cost-effective way."