Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

University of Bristol Centre for Academic Primary Care's Professor Chris Salisbury presented the RCGP James Mackenzie Lecture this year.

If we want to design health care for the people who most need it, the focus needs to be on people with multimorbidity”, Professor Salisbury said. “Like everyone else, they need treatment for simple illnesses, like when they get an infection. But they also need well organised chronic disease management to help them stay healthy. And given the scale of the problem, this can’t just depend on doctors and nurses. So, a key priority is to help patients manage their illnesses themselves.”
- Chris Salisbury

The lecture is one of the College’s main awards, with the lecturer chosen by the Fellowship and Awards Committee of the College.

You can watch the lecture on the Royal College of General Practitioners’ YouTube channel or read the transcript.

In his lecture, Professor Salisbury addressed one of the biggest challenges facing primary care: how to provide care related to need for the growing number of people with multiple health problems (multimorbidity).

One in four people in the UK and the US have two or more long-term health conditions, increasing to two-thirds for patients aged over 65, placing a major strain on health services. Conditions include diabetes, heart disease and asthma, and can include mental health conditions such as depression and dementia.

Yet many recent developments in primary care have been designed to improve care for people with relatively simple problems. Read more