Move comes as myGP experiences a 1451% increase in video consultations, and 266,304 new patients signing up to use the app since the start of the pandemic
DATE MONTH 2020 – The UK’s largest independent medical app ‘myGP’ has improved 1.9m NHS patients’ access to primary healthcare before, and during, the pandemic, and is now helping patients to access the right care by the right healthcare professional through its triage integration and partnership with the online consultation provider, eConsult.
This improved access to primary healthcare is now available to practices in England using the myGP app and eConsult, the UK’s most widely used online consultation platform, giving them the option to direct their patients to an online appointment booking[1] or to submit a consultation remotely.
The uptake among practices was spurred on by a swelling user base for myGP, as demand for digital healthcare services, including ordering repeat prescriptions online, accessing medical records and having telephone or video consultations with the right NHS practitioner, continues to soar.
Tobias Alpsten, Founder & CEO of myGP, comments: “The way we access healthcare may have changed since the Covid-19 pandemic, but demand for primary care has not. By working with eConsult and other online consultation providers, we’re helping to transform the way patients access care. Digital first healthcare is now the norm and we have been working with practices, CCGs and patients alike to make this process as simple as possible.
“The myGP app is currently enabling almost 1.9 million NHS patients to access primary care services to better support and manage their health. These patients are used to managing their health online and by integrating online consultations into the app, we can ensure calls to practices are reduced and patients receive a better healthcare experience.”
How eConsult is enabling myGP users to access the most appropriate healthcare options:
Online consultations have been growing in popularity in primary care, however since the pandemic and the introduction of total triage and digital first healthcare, online consultation providers have seen a surge in uptake. Through using eConsult, patients can conveniently seek help and advice from their own practice online, wherever they are and at any time, as well as receive advice on how to manage their own conditions through self-help advice. If patients are able to contact their GP surgery online in the first instance, the practice will have a better idea of how to help them, whilst also keeping telephone lines free for patients who are unable to go online.
Dr Murray Ellender, NHS GP and CEO of eConsult, said: “At eConsult, we want to make the healthcare journey as streamlined as possible so that clinicians can focus on what they do best, caring for their patients. We are really excited to be working with myGP to integrate our digital triage and self-help capabilities into the myGP app, we can help to provide the best service for both GPs and their patients.”
eConsult is used across 93 CCGs in England, providing online consultations to over 29 million patients.
As most practices have disabled online booking, is this something we could replace with another feature?
