On Wednesday the 20th of September Simon and I were privileged to attend a meeting at the Royal College of General Practitioner’s headquarters in Euston. The meeting, which was held specifically to review Jessica’s case and discuss the points raised by this petition, was attended by Professor Claire Fuller, NHS England’s medical director of primary care as well as many senior members of the RCGP, including the Chair, Professor Kamila Hawthorne, Dr Margaret Ikpoh, Vice Chair (Professional Development) and Dr Michael Mulholland, Honorary Secretary. 

The seniority of the people attending and the significance of the potential outcomes can not be overstated. Thanks to your support, the people best placed to promote changes in Primary Care are listening and responding.

We discussed at length our premise for Jess’s Law. 

After the third contact with a GP surgery about a condition/symptom, a case should be elevated for review. It should be red-flagged and set procedures and guidelines should be followed, including a referral to a specialist. This should not be a tokenistic exercise i.e., a simple, inconclusive blood test and the patient given an all-clear. The investigations need to be thorough and conclusive.

Amongst this professional body of GPs, the principle of Jess’s Law was met with approval. Inevitably, the details will need to be honed and how it will work in practice discussed. However, we were delighted to hear how open the RCGP and NHS England were to its implementation. If enacted, Jess’s Law is set to benefit everyone, not only the young or those suffering from cancer. Now, we hope it will be backed swiftly by the government. 

The key focus of this petition is, of course, to improve awareness and the diagnosis of cancer, regardless of age, ethnicity or gender. Our aim has always been to advance training and positively support GPs in achieving earlier diagnosis. We are only too aware of how prevalent late cancer diagnosis is, especially among the young. Through this campaign, we have learnt that many patients attend their surgery in excess of 5 times. Jess, as you know, contacted her surgery on more than 20 occasions with deteriorating health and escalating symptoms. 

The RGCP are also keen to work with us to create a bespoke training programme, highlighting Jessica’s case. This is welcome news. 

I think it is essential to acknowledge the support of the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay who, galvanised by the devastating and premature death of Jess, has actively backed our campaign. 

We believe Jess would be pleased with the current outcomes of this petition. We hope the implementation of these changes will be prioritised and positive change brought about. 

Thank you, as always, for your unstinting support. Please keep sharing for Jess and for a brighter future for the people you love.