Jess, 27, died just 3 weeks after being diagnosed with cancer – now new rule will help prevent other avoidable deaths

A NEW rule has been introduced to prevent people dying early, after the death of a 27-year-old woman of cancer.

GPs will be told to take a “three strikes and rethink” approach to patients they have seen three times already.

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Jess’s Rule will see more patients diagnosed with serious illnesses early, the Government says.

If no diagnosis has been given, or improvement seen, doctors must now consider a second opinion, ordering tests or making a referral.

The rule is named after 27-year-old Jessica Brady, from Stevenage, Hertfordshire.

The engineer for Airbus died of liver cancer in 2020 after contacting her GP surgery 20 times over six months.

She was given antibiotics and steroids for her symptoms, including abdominal pain, coughing, vomiting and weight loss, and told that due to her age, it couldn’t be anything serious.

She was only seen by virutal appointment, due to the Covid pandemic.

Jess’s mum, Andrea Brady, who has campaigned for the rule, said: “Jess lived for just three short weeks following her terminal cancer diagnosis.

“Despite her shock and devastation, she showed unfailing courage, positivity, dignity, and love.

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said Jessica’s death “was a preventable and unnecessary tragedy”.

The rule has been brought in in partnership with the Royal College of GPs (RCGP) and NHS England.

The RCGP helped create an educational toolkit for GPs on the early diagnosis of cancer in young adults.

Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: “No GP will ever want to miss signs of serious illness, such as cancer.

“Ensuring a timely diagnosis often means better outcomes for patients – but many conditions, including many cancers, are challenging to identify in primary care because the symptoms are often similar to other, less serious and more common conditions.

“Alternative diagnoses are often more likely, particularly when considering risk factors such as age.

“We hope that by formalising this with Jess’s Rule, it will remind GPs to keep this at the forefront of their minds.”

Andrea has been flying the flag for her daughter ever since her death.

She said: “In the bleak weeks following the loss of Jess, I realised it was my duty to continue what she had started.

“Jess was determined that people should understand how desperately she had tried to advocate for herself and seek a resolution for her declining health.

“It has taken nearly five years to bring about Jess’s Rule. I would like to dedicate this initiative to all the young people who have been diagnosed too late.

“It has only been made possible because of the people who have listened – politicians, medics, and the nearly half-a-million who supported the campaign.”

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “I want to thank her [Jess’s] courageous family, who have campaigned tirelessly through unimaginable grief to ensure Jessica’s legacy helps to save the lives of others.

“Patient safety must be the bedrock of the NHS, and Jess’s Rule will make sure every patient receives the thorough, compassionate, and safe care that they deserve, while supporting our hard-working GPs to catch potentially deadly illnesses.

“I don’t want any family to endure the pain Jessica’s family have been through.

“This government will learn from such tragedies and is taking decisive action to improve patient safety.”

A report from the Nuffield Trust and the Health Foundation found that half of 16 to 24-year-olds required three or more interactions with a GP surgery before being diagnosed with cancer, compared with one in five across the population.