All GP surgeries in England to display Jess's Rule posters

Posters promoting Jess's Rule, which asks GPs to reassess patients after three undiagnosed visits or worsening symptoms, have been distributed to all GP practices in England.

Posters about Jess's Rule have been distributed to every GP practice in England this week. The initiative asks family doctors to reassess care for patients who have had three appointments with the same or worsening symptoms without a diagnosis. The rule, named after Jessica Brady, was rolled out in September after her repeated GP contacts before her death in 2020 and aims to reduce missed or late diagnoses. Key points: - Posters have been sent to all 6,170 GP practices in England. - Jess's Rule encourages GPs to think again after a patient has had three undiagnosed appointments or if symptoms worsen, and to explore second opinions, face-to-face examinations, or additional tests. - GP surgeries will receive a letter from Health Secretary Wes Streeting and NHS England's national medical director Dr Claire Fuller to emphasise the approach. - The posters were co-designed by the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and Jessica Brady's parents, and the Jessica Brady CEDAR Trust helped develop the materials. - Research cited by the Nuffield Trust and the Health Foundation found that many 16 to 24-year-olds required three or more GP interactions before receiving a cancer diagnosis. Summary: The posters aim to prompt clinicians to review persistent or worsening symptoms to help avoid missed diagnoses. GP surgeries will receive an accompanying letter from national health leaders to support the approach; further monitoring of its impact was not detailed in the report.