The advances in medical practice over the past 50 years have been awe-inspiring but the latest statistics indicate that British households are not deriving the same benefits from them as those in the rest of Western Europe.

Although until recently we had medical training that was the envy of the rest of the world, with the possible exception of the US, in Britain patients’ long-term survival from serious diseases compares only with that experienced by people in the smaller Eastern European states.

Much of the problem can be attributed to the uncritical acceptance of the NHS, a system that was initially world-beating and still is admirable in many ways, but hasn’t evolved to meet changing needs or to take advantage of medical innovations. The NHS still provides good value for money but our healthcare doesn’t compare with that in other advanced countries who spend more on health and have better results.

Another reason why British medical statistics look less encouraging than those across the channel is that British patients are by nature more phlegmatic, long-suffering and uncomplaining than their more introspective European counterparts. As a result we often ignore symptoms because, as hundreds of patients have said to me over the years, “we just didn’t want to make a fuss, doctor”. Unfortunately, by the time they report their troubles it may well be too late to achieve the best results.

When I joined The Times and we wanted to start a health column written for the lay public rather than medical scientists, extensive research showed that in a family the person who mattered most was a 50-year-old grandmother. Her opinions, fashioned by traditional medical beliefs and honed by exposure to the medical healthcare system, controlled the health of four generations.

Her parents, uncles and aunts were likely still to be alive, although aged. Our 50-year-old matriarch dominated discussion on health matters in her own house, that of her aged relatives, her daughters and any unmarried sons who looked to her for advice. The young grandmother also has a say in the health of her married daughters’ children.

In any family dealing with any medical problem, whether acute or long-lasting, a balance has to be struck between being the panicky alarmist/hypochondriac and the laid-back person who prides himself on coping without outside interference. It is too easy for the latter, motivated by admirable instincts, to watch as unwittingly they allow a child suffering from appendicitis to deteriorate in front of them or to mis-diagnose what at first appeared to be no more than a trivial head injury but later transpired to be the result of intracranial bleeding or even the early signs of meningitis.

In older age groups it astounds me how many people leave malignant moles unchecked, even though their rapidly growing melanoma has been peered at by the whole family. Others ignore rectal bleeding or are not alarmed when their child is off-colour, has a temperature and is difficult to rouse.

Patients’ praiseworthy desire not to be seen as someone who fusses unnecessarily is responsible for many late diagnoses. Patients need to learn the maxim that used to be drilled into soldier cadets at officer training schools: think of the worst and prepare for it. This is not panic but reasonable forward-planning and is no different from the training of recruits in industry who are always taught to consider the worst-case scenario and have a plan to deal with it.

People have to realise that good doctors are never cross at being consulted if a patient is genuinely anxious. Most doctors mentally run through the possible causes of any symptoms described on the telephone as they drive out to see the patient. They take into consideration the patient’s age, past medical history and family history as well as the trouble described on the telephone. By the time the doctor reaches the patient, he is fearing the worst. If, when he examines the patient he discovers that the alarm was unnecessary, the overriding emotion is one of intense relief.

Each day this week we will look at some of the most common problems encountered in family health. Our aim is to provide a guide of how best to deal with certain situations – a vomiting child, a frail grandmother, a sprained ankle. But in all situations, the golden rule is: if in doubt, consult a doctor.

The symptoms that always need attention are those such as inexplicable abdominal pain and tenderness, especially when associated with a temperature and a general feeling of being unwell. Similarly, every householder should have engraved on their heart the message that meningitis cannot be ruled out just because there is no rash, and that they should never wait for a rash to develop before sending for the doctor if someone has other symptoms associated with meningitis. They should remember that the rash of meningococcal meningitis and septicaemia may initially be difficult to find as it may be no more than a few pink spots that don’t fade when pressed beneath glass.

We will deal not only with the conditions that could immediately be lethal, but also some of the commonly missed signs and symptoms that are overlooked.

Is a bad headache the first symptom of a brain haemorrhage, or no more than a hangover? Are an 18-year-old’s moody aggressiveness, personality changes and appalling taste in music an adolescent phase, drugs or the first signs of serious psychiatric trouble? Over the course of this week, we hope to address all of these questions, and more.

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