GPs in England to follow new rule after 27-year-old died when having cancer missed 20 times
GPs in England are being urged to 'think again' under a new NHS initiative called Jess's Rule, following the death of 27-year-old Jessica Brady, whose cancer was missed on more than 20 occasions.
The rule means doctors should consider taking action if an unwell patient is seen three times and is yet to receive a diagnosis or their symptoms are worsening.
It comes after Jessica was told she was 'too young for cancer' when she became unwell in summer of 2020, only to find out she had advanced stage 4 cancer later that year.
Her death has been called a 'preventable and unnecessary tragedy' by Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who introduced the new initiative in the hopes it will improve patient safety and help GPs 'catch potentially deadly illnesses.'
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Jessica, who worked as an engineer at Airbus, first contacted her GP in July 2020 and she repeatedly contacted them over the following five months about her worsening symptoms.
Speaking to the Today programme on BBC Radio 4, her mum Andrea said: "She had unintentionally lost quite a lot of weight, had night sweats, chronic fatigue, a persistent cough and very enlarged lymph nodes.
"But because of her age, it was obviously considered there wasn't anything wrong."
Despite having contact with six different GPs and having three face-to-face appointments, her concerns were dismissed and no referrals were made.
"Her body was failing her. It was hard for Jess to advocate for herself. She was saying 'What's the point? Nothing will happen,'" Andrea said.
Later that year, Jessica's family made the decision to have her seen by a private GP, who referred her to a specialist, but by this time it was too late. In late November 2020 she was told she had terminal cancer and three weeks later she sadly passed away.
Now, Jessica's devastated family are hoping to make a real difference for other patients by ensuring doctors act quickly when presented with deteriorating symptoms.
"She wanted to make a difference. Jess knew her delayed diagnosis was instrumental in the fact she had no treatment options open to her, only palliative care," her mum said.
"She felt strongly she didn't want this to happen to other people."
Jess' Rule will operate as a 'three strikes and rethink' approach, which could mean arranging in person appointments with patients who have previously been spoken to on the phone, or requesting a second opinion from colleagues. It will also encourage GPs to make referrals to specialists.
Jessica's family worked closely with The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) to draw up the guidance.
"Many conditions, including many cancers, are challenging to identify in primary care because the symptoms are often similar to other, less serious and more common conditions," Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of RCGP, told the BBC.
"If a patient repeatedly presents with the same or similar symptoms, but the treatment plan does not seem to be making them better - or their condition is deteriorating - it is best practice to review the diagnosis and consider alternative approaches."
Emma Rosemurgey