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New phone-a-doctor scheme will cut out trips to the surgery
Sophie Goodchild5 May 2009
Busy patients are being offered GP consultations over the phone in an NHS drive to increase choice.
The phone-a-doctor scheme is being piloted for the first time in London.
Northwood Health Centre, in the borough of Hillingdon, is one of only a handful in the country testing the service, in which patients phone up to book an appointment as normal and the GP calls them back within two hours.
Three out of five patients who used the Carepoint Practice at the centre are already requesting "remote" advice. Some patients at the surgery were offered the service a year ago and from this week all 4,100 patients will be able to use it.
The greatest demand is from professionals reluctant to take time off work.
Dr Tony Stern, who runs the Carepoint Practice, said phone consultations were not a replacement for face-to-face advice. But the GP said they gave patients more choice and meant patients did not have to travel to the surgery.
Dr Stern said: "With the current economic climate adding to the woes of the nation, people are increasingly reluctant to be seen to be taking time off work, particularly those with long-term health problems. Phone consultations are a great way to make sure that patients can access their GP without compromising their situation."
The phone-a-doctor scheme has already been used by patients suffering from work-related stress.
It is part of a Government drive to improve patient access to GP services.
Dr Stern still offers one-on-one consultations but said increasing numbers of his patients found the phone service quicker and more convenient.
He said: "Many patients prefer phone consultations over face to face as it is quick, convenient and can be conducted anywhere.
"The advantages are that it cuts out having to make a trip to the surgery, particularly if you are elderly or disabled, offers instant reassurance and means you can take the call anywhere, at home, work, even on holiday if you have a pressing problem that can't wait."
But patient groups warned that phone consultations should be no more than a "halfway-house" and not a "habit".
Michael Summers, from the Patients Association, told the Standard: 'There are a lot of non-urgent issues that doctors deal with and getting a face-to-face appointment can take days. But this should only be a halfway house - we have to shield our services so this doesn't become a habit.
"Even patients who are stressed could have other problems such as high blood pressure which need monitoring with a physical check."
Reader views (6)
Hi Sophie, a great article...
Picked this up from Andrew's post mentioning our website and would like to balance what he has said and congratulate Dr Stern on the innovation that he is providing to help care for his patients.
Contrary to Andrew's comments the Carepoint Practice is breaking lots of new ground as at 3G Doctor we're not providing your normal Doctor we're only offering an information/advice service to people who can't access a family Doctor.
Whilst 3G Doctor may be similar it's certainly not as "full service" as what they are offering which is much more appropriate because it involves your own family Doctor - where you will continue to find the best of care.
It would be great to see more family Doctors introduce modern ways of communicating with their patients and private companies (such us 3G Doctor) should not be used to excuse them from following Dr Stern's lead.
Please check out my blog for further discussion of this http://3gdoctor.wordpress.com
- David Doherty, Republic of Ireland, 07/05/2009 12:20
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This is nothing new as I and a number of people I know have been using the services of www.3gdoctor.com for a number of years.
They store your medical details securely and you can phone anytime of day or night to have a private VIDEO call service. You can actually see your doctor and more importantly they can see you.
I agree it doesn't beat face to face, but as a busy professional I can't afford to take the time to stop in my GP clinic at their convienience!
So as I said nothing new as 3GDOCTOR has been providing a similar service for years now.
- Andrew, London, 06/05/2009 22:11
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Interesting comments from all 3 above, but i am a patient of Dr Stern's and have used this facility recently, and it works like a dream, because of the following;
1. This is not NHS-DIRECT. When you call, you call the surgery, they take your contact number, and you are then called back within 2 hours - BY YOUR DOCTOR!.
2. You don't need to go up to the surgery just to get a repeat prescription, this is arranged during the call.
3. The convenience factor is perfect, as mentioned in the article, that as long as you can describe your symptons in details, where possible you can be diagnosed over the phone, and you don't need to wait 2 days for an appointment.
I would say that i understand the scepticism of the majority of people, but trust me when i say that once your surgery takes this service on board, you will greatly appreciate it's benefits!
- Jason, Pinner, Middlesex, 06/05/2009 11:38
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Mike, London: WOW! You took the words right outta my mouth! If my recent experiences are anything to go by you will be dead before the doctor found the time to call you back.
All this NHS-Direct nonsense needs investigating. You dial the number. Enough options to confuse a brain surgeon. Hanging on. Waiting. Waiting. Make a cup of coffee. "We are experiencing higher than normal call numbers at the moment. Your call is in a queue. Your call will be answered as soon as an adviser becomes available."
After 18 minutes of hanging-on my call was answered. I COULD NOT UNDERSTAND ONE WORD OF WHAT THE PERSON WAS SAYING. IT CERTAINLY WAS NOT ENGLISH AS I KNOW ENGLISH.
I suddenly felt much better - until I realised it had cost me no less than FIVE POUNDS to call NHS-Direct.
All for nothing.
A complete waste of space - just like every other Labour gimmick.
- Reuben Camara, Morecambe UK, 05/05/2009 14:25
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Another thoughtless thought-out thought!!!!!
with every call recorded, stored, monitored
l dont think so
- Anon, london, 05/05/2009 13:25
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No doubt the call centre will be in India or similar, you will have 5+ options to choose from and then wait 20 minutes to speak to someone who you cannot understand or find it was the wrong option so back to the start!
- Mike, London England, 05/05/2009 12:34
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