DHSC and NHS England launch Jess’s Rule to avoid delays in diagnosis
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England have launched Jess’s Rule across general practitioner (GP) practices in England to help avoid missed or delayed diagnoses and minimise preventable deaths. The initiative requires GPs to adopt a ‘three strikes and rethink approach’—reconsidering their assessment if, after three appointments, no substantiated diagnosis has been made or symptoms have escalated. Jess’s Rule provides GPs with guidelines to reflect, review and rethink where a patient’s condition remains uncertain. This may involve arranging face-to-face consultations where previous appointments were remote, conducting physical examinations, ordering diagnostic tests, or seeking second opinions and specialist referrals. By embedding this as standard practice across England, the measure aims to prevent delays, reduce health inequalities and secure earlier diagnoses, especially for young people and patients from ethnic minority backgrounds.