Art of “holding patient care in general practice” is key to survival of the NHS
BMJ 2025; 388 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.r546 (Published 24 March 2025) Cite this as: BMJ 2025;388:r546
- Max Cooper, associate professor in primary care, associate general practitioner,
- Carl Fernandes, clinical senior general practice teaching fellow, locum general practitioner,
- Jason Heath, honorary senior lecturer in general practice, general practice partner
- Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Falmer, UK
- m.cooper{at}bsms.ac.uk
Data on hospital beds are important1 but must not eclipse upstream priorities for tackling pressures in the NHS. Strengthening general practice is crucial. This calls for medical educators and NHS leaders who value and promote generalist skills—in particular, the art of “holding patient care in general practice.” “Holding” necessitates meeting patients’ health needs as far as possible entirely within the primary care setting and avoiding premature or unnecessary secondary care involvement or specialist investigations.
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