Patients don’t see the same GP any more – and that has to change | Clare Gerada

Continuity of care is increasingly rare in our overstretched NHS. The benefits are huge and worth fighting forI recently did a surgery in my south London general practice. There were 18 patients at 10-minute intervals, followed by paperwork, results, prescriptions and a home visit. Nothing unusual in that.But what was unusual was who I saw. Take for example Joan, now in her mid-70s. She has many health problems, including cancer, diabetes and depression. I first met Joan 25 years ago when she at