How this fits in

Recent studies suggest continuity of care in England is declining and, as continuity of care is a core principle of primary care, this should concern clinicians and policymakers. Little is known about the trend in continuity of care over recent years. This study used aggregated practice-level data from repeated questions from GP Patient Surveys undertaken between 2012 and 2017, on having a preferred GP and seeing this GP ‘usually’; the data showed a decline over time for both indicators by approximately nine percentage points. This decline is visible in all types of practices, irrespective of baseline practice-level continuity, geographic characteristics, or level of deprivation. As practices with higher percentages of patients reporting a good overall experience of making appointments showed that more patients were ‘usually’ able to see their preferred GP, it appears that a satisfactory appointment system could help counteract a decline in continuity of care.