All GP surgeries in England will display posters promoting "Jess's Rule" from this week, a patient safety initiative urging family doctors to reconsider diagnoses when symptoms persist. The rule, named after 27-year-old Jessica Brady who died in 2020 after contacting her GP 20 times over six months, calls on doctors to re-evaluate if a patient has had three appointments without a diagnosis or if symptoms worsen. The nationwide rollout to 6,170 practices aims to prevent avoidable deaths by ensuring serious illnesses like cancer are caught earlier.
Jessica Brady contacted her GP surgery around 20 times with abdominal pain, coughing, vomiting and weight loss. During the pandemic, she received virtual appointments and was prescribed antibiotics and steroids, with doctors suggesting she may be suffering from long Covid. A private doctor visit eventually led to a diagnosis of cancer that had spread throughout her body. She died three weeks later.
Andrea Brady, Jessica's mother who co-designed the posters, expressed pride in her daughter's legacy. «Throughout her illness, Jess showed a quiet determination that her experience should lead to meaningful change, inspiring the launch of Jess's Rule in September last year», she said. «I am so incredibly proud of my caring and courageous daughter.»
Officials back initiative
Health Secretary Wes Streeting called the rule a «fitting tribute» to Jessica Brady and her parents. «Every patient deserves to be heard, and every serious illness deserves to be caught early. Jess's Rule makes that possible – reminding clinicians to take a fresh look when symptoms persist, and empowering patients to speak up about their care», he said.
Dr Claire Fuller, NHS England's national medical director, said encouraging GP teams to challenge a diagnosis «could save lives by avoiding missed or late diagnoses». She thanked the Brady family and the Jessica Brady CEDAR Trust, the charity established in Jess's name, for funding and developing the posters.
Young patients face diagnosis delays
Research by the Nuffield Trust and Health Foundation found half of 16 to 24-year-olds required three or more interactions with a GP surgery before receiving a cancer diagnosis, compared with one in five across the general population.
Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown, chairwoman of the Royal College of GPs, said Jessica Brady's story «is an important reminder that sometimes a rare diagnosis could be the right diagnosis». She explained that Jess's Rule «formalises 'best practice' in general practice and underlines the importance of taking time to reflect and review a diagnosis, if a treatment plan doesn't seem to be working».
Andrea Brady said the Jessica Brady CEDAR Trust has been «heartened» by the response from primary care practitioners. «Many have committed to developing further training, while others have written to patients to endorse the initiative and show their support. This level of engagement has been profoundly encouraging», she said.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
