I t is not uncommon to read stories only to be told that they have all been taken that day and they either have to try again the next day or book one sometime in the future. The 2017 GP Patient Survey makes interesting reading. It shows that 84% of the people surveyed rated their overall GP experience as ‘Good’ with 42.9% of that figure rating their experience as ‘Very Good’. However these figures have been falling for the past five years. The report backs up the widely held view that over the past five years it is becoming harder to get an appointment with your GP. The 2017 survey participants were asked how easy it was to get through to someone on the phone, and in total 68% agreed it was easy, still a majority, but this was a drop of nearly 10% (9.9%) from 2012. Some surgeries have introduced online services to assist with booking appointments to try to address this. When survey respondents were asked how long it was after initially contacting the surgery before they actually saw or spoke to a health professional, there was a significant increase in those having to wait a week or more. Only 38% managed to get an appointment the same day, the vast majority did not. One in five reported that they had to wait more than a week. The effects of all this on employers are self-evident. Employees have to spend time booking appointments and are often left waiting and in pain, which can then lead to stress resulting in staff being distracted from work and less productive, which is all perfectly understandable. One possible solution for employers has come with the growth of the virtual GP. Using video conferencing technology, individuals are now able to speak to a GP within hours (sometimes minutes) of requesting an appointment. With fast and easy access to a GP over a phone or video link, employees are able to schedule their appointments to the times that suit them. When asked in the Patient Survey when they would most about the difficulties of accessing GP services. Many people will have felt the frustration of phoning the surgery in the morning to try and get an appointment,
like to speak to a GP, the most popular response was on a Saturday, followed by ‘after 6:30 pm’ and then on a Sunday. Which clearly indicates that they prefer to arrange these appointments in their own time rather than missing work. This is great news for employers using this service who can now see a healthier workforce who can see they are valued, plus a reduced level of absence. Virtual GP’s, certainly for now, should not be seen as a replacement for their own NHS GP, and in many cases individuals may still need to see their local surgery, but, for many, the facility to speak to a doctor and get some advice promptly can remove or at least lessen anxiety. The NHS themselves have been investigating this technology and have partnered with a provider in the London region. Although a mass roll out may be some time away. this is likely to become the norm in years to come. Providing benefits that are both useful and valued by your employees is important. Health and wellbeing benefits are a key area for employers to consider, and providing easy access to medical advice and support is a good way to demonstrate an employer’s commitment to the health and wellbeing of staff, and improving engagement, whilst reducing absence and improving productivity and retention. There are a number of providers of virtual GP services and employers looking to enhance their benefits package may wish to consider including a virtual GP. But before you sign up to one it is important to look at the whole package of benefits already being delivered. Some providers of private medical insurance or health cash plans now include these or can add them - sometimes at no additional cost. Employers need to review their benefits regularly to make sure they remain relevant and take advantage of what is offered by providers. For more information on the range of Employee Benefits which may be suitable for your business, or to review your current package of Employee Benefits, contact Laurie for a no- obligation chat: email laurie.clark@ scruttonbland.co.uk or tel 07741 272776 .
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