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A survey of GPs and practice nurses at 22 practices in England in February and August 2007 showed that some GPs view the contract as accelerating a decline in interpersonal continuity of care.

One GP surveyed said that patients presented with the same problems, but added: 'The difference is that it's more likely that the patient and the doctor won't know each other.'

But nurses are finding they are becoming more involved in continuity of care as they take responsibility for patients with long-term conditions. 'With the asthma, the patients are beginning to see the same nurse, you know, rather than a different GP,' said one nurse. 'I always try and make it so that there is open access for them if they have got a problem.'

Both GPs and nurses told the researchers, from the National Primary Care Research and Development Centre, that nurses have become the primary providers of healthcare for those with chronic conditions.

- Ann Fam Med 2008; 6: 228-34.

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