What's The Future For Your GP Surgery?

Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, when it comes to seeing your local doctor, appointments could be changing forever

- Faye M Smith

Trouble getting an appointment with your GP? Pre-COVID-19, the average waiting time was more than two weeks*, so it’s no wonder over half of Brits described the process of getting to see their GP as ‘hard’**. But virtual surgeries, where you can speak to a medical professional via video call, could help to curtail excessive waiting times. Last year, less than one in every 100*** GP appointments was via video but, thanks to the pandemic when the public was asked to stay away from surgeries, the number has skyrocketed. ‘There’s been a significant increase,’ says Dr Dan Bunstone from Push Doctor. ‘Video consultations offer convenience and efficiency that has never been possible in the past.’ So, will they be here to stay? Here’s everything you need to know…

No more waiting

Not only does ditching the surgery mean you’ll avoid waiting room germs, you’ll also bypass the queues. ‘The time you wait for a digital appointment does tend to be shorter,’ says Dr Bunstone. ‘At the height of the pandemic, GP surgeries used a “total triage model”, where all patients were assessed through telephone or video consultation at first, with only a small number attending a face-to-face appointment. Waiting times are reduced because patients are directed to the right care in the first place.

When you still need to visit in person