23rd September saw the government announce the rollout of Jess’s Rule, which aims to improve the process of diagnosing serious illnesses.
The rule is named after 27-year-old Jessica Brady from Stevenage, a talented engineer for Airbus, who had repeated GP appointments in the months leading up to her death in 2020.
Jess’s Rule will ask GPs to think again if, after three appointments, they have been unable to offer a proven diagnosis or the patient’s symptoms have got worse.
It was Jess’s courageous mother, Andrea Brady, pictured above with her daughter, who has led the campaign over the last five years.
Jessica Brady had more than twenty appointments with her GP practice in the five months leading up to her death, but eventually had to seek private healthcare.
She was later diagnosed with stage 4 adenocarcinoma. With such an advanced disease, there was no available treatment. She was admitted into hospital where she died three weeks later.
Many GP practices already use similar approaches in complex cases, but Jess’s Rule, designed in collaboration with the Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners and NHS England, will make this standard practice across England. The rule will help to catch serious conditions earlier as well as to reduce health inequalities and ensure everyone – regardless of age or background – receives the same high standard of care.