Now Healthcare Group plans to offer its technology as a free trial, launching with five groups of NHS practices in the next two months. It will also offer patients the chance to use its app-driven, repeat medicine delivery service, which is also free to NHS patients.
Lee Dentith, CEO and Founder of Now Healthcare Group said: “I am extremely proud to announce our latest ground-breaking proposition. Finally, digital health and NHS GP practices, can work collaboratively to strengthen patient support – at no cost whatsoever. We are offering an evolution of a traditional way to see a GP for all NHS patients by using NHS funds already in the system. Our technology assists patients because it gives GPs the opportunity to continue to see their patients – rather than losing them to other practices offering online consultation services”.
The technology offered to GP practices will include an option for patients to select Now Healthcare Group’s prescription delivery service and will also allow them to choose another pharmacy for dispensing their medication, if preferred. This means the arrangement will not put GPs at risk of breaching ‘prescription direction’ regulations, which prevent them from sending their patients to specific pharmacies for their medicines,
Mr Dentith continued: “We will also offer practices the chance to use our own GPs, free of charge, to carry out additional video consultations – such as for evening appointments – with a view to driving more people to use our app. We will look to work with practices to utilise their GPs for a couple of hours a week and do multiple (virtual consultations) or they can use our GPs (depending on how many patients from their practice we fulfil their medication needs). Best of all, it is completely free of charge.”
