Talk to your GP by video, millions of patients told

MILLIONS of patients will be urged to consult with their GP by phone or video in a major drive to slow the spread of the virus.

GP practices across the country have been told to ramp up the number of ‘remote consultations’ to reduce the risk of infected patients turning up at surgeries.

It means face-to-face appointments are likely to be replaced with examinations by video, phone or online wherever possible.

GPs could also be exempted from some rules about NHS form-filling to give them more time to help fight the spread of coronavirus.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock told MPs yesterday: ‘We will take a digital-first approach to accessing primary care and outpatient appointments – so that wherever clinically and practically possible people can access... primary care through phones and digital means.

‘This is especially important in the current coronavirus outbreak.’

Health minister Jo Churchill said some patients can expect to wait longer for NHS treatment as doctors prioritise those with more serious illnesses and multiple underlying health conditions first.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Jenny Harries yesterday said the

‘Digital-first approach’

health service was attempting to remove all ‘unnecessary’ face-toface contact between GPs and coronavirus patients.

She said family doctors would not be expected to visit anyone who was self-isolating at home due to cold or flu symptoms.

Instead out-of-hours GP providers are being asked to set up a dedicated service to monitor coronavirus patients at home.

Dr Harries said: ‘In general, for an infectious disease we are trying to remove as many healthcare connections which are unnecessary.

‘We will only be calling on GP support when that is necessary.’

Digital companies which offer video consultations or ‘virtual GPs’ have reported a surge in demand.

Dr Dan Bunstone, from Push Doctor – an app which provides sameday video consultations, said: ‘We reach approximately 4.7million people and have partnerships with over 200 NHS GP practices.

‘We can also quickly and efficiently mobilise more GPs to hold video consultations, and rapidly increase the number of daily appointments on offer to ensure that patients are still able to access GP services remotely.’ Matthew Noble, from Babylon which provides video consultations with GPs, said: ‘Many practices are switching the majority of their consultations to telephone and video rather than faceto-face in light of coronavirus.’

Graham Kendall, of the Digital Healthcare Council, said: ‘Online consultations cancel the risk of patients transmitting coronavirus to their GPs and other healthcare professionals, and vice-versa. They are also much more convenient for patients and doctors in many cases.

‘They offer a way for healthcare professionals – self-isolating but with no symptoms – to treat patients and are a lower-risk way for retired GPs to return to work.

‘If just 5 per cent of GP consultations went digital, there would be 300,000 fewer face-to-face visits to a GP a week. Each of these could be a potential coronavirus transmission.’ Last year, just one per cent of GP appointments were carried out by video consultation.