European AI and digital health company Doctolib, has announced an investment into Medicus with commitments of over £100 million, to hire 150 people and establish a full R&D centre in London.
“Doctolib and Medicus will build on the strong product, team and understanding of NHS primary care that Medicus has built, while bringing Doctolib’s AI and technological expertise and track record with more than 40,000 GPs in Europe,” Doctolib stated in the announcement.
Medicus will continue to operate with its team, including CEO and founder, will an aim to grow following being the first new GP clinical software system in the NHS in 25 years.
The offering for GP practices includes a platform incorporating functionality across scheduling, documentation, care coordination, patient follow-up, and more. Moving forward, there will be a focus, according to the suppliers, on practical use cases such as documentation support, workflow automation, and administrative assistance for GP teams.
Stanislas Niox-Chateau, Doctolib co-founder and CEO, said: “By joining forces, we are becoming one team with one ambition: give GP practices in the UK the best technology, AI and services to simplify work, improve coordination and help professionals spend more time caring for patients. We are making a long-term commitment to the UK. We plan to invest more than £100 million in the UK over the coming years, hire 150 people in London, establish a dedicated R&D centre, and bring the full power of our expertise, including our AI clinical lab, to support innovation in NHS primary care.”
Wider trend: Innovation in primary care
NHS England has published its latest changes to the GP Contract for 2026/27, looking to build on existing work around improving access for patients, and making changes to QOF, vaccinations, and “enabling practices to prioritise clinically urgent needs”. Investment in the contract will increase by £485 million in 2026/27, NHSE shares, bringing the total contract value to £13,863 million, and offering “a 3.6 percent cash growth or 1.4 percent real terms growth relative to the GDP deflator”.
Suffolk and North East Essex (SNEE) ICB has published a contract with a total value of £5.2 million, seeking an IT provider to support with GP IT modernisation in alignment with the Primary Care Digital Services Model. The ICB focuses on securing the right technology and support for GP practice and PCN staff, with the selected supplier to deliver “a stable, flexible IT system to support a collaborative, productive workforce”.
The HTN Primary Care Awards celebrated excellence in primary care innovation from across the country, demonstrating GP practices, primary care networks, integrated care boards and suppliers, who have delivered improvements in primary care. Read more on winning entries across categories including “Digital solution of the year”, “Best use of AI in primary care”, and “Moving from reactive to proactive care project of the year” here.
