Three in four UK GPs ‘too busy to talk to their patients in depth’

GPs also be may be missing conditions that could be treated earlier, one expert said. Photograph: parkerphotography/Alamy

A friendly chat with your GP about your life, health and happiness was once a key part of the UK’s family doctor service.

But most GPs no longer have time to have pastoral conversations, because they are too busy dealing with the country’s rising tide of illness, research reveals.