What could a £889m investment in technology look like for GPs and their patients? Healthcare Technology Expert and SVP at OneAdvanced Ric Thompson shares his thoughts.
The recent announcement of the £889m deal struck with GPs is without doubt welcome news. But already this good news has sparked debate… but is it enough?
The issue of the 8am scramble has troubled GPs and their patients for many years now putting a huge strain on GP staff members and aggravating patients.
Labour included it in their manifesto, promising that they would bring back family doctors and end the early morning rush for appointments. This deal is certainly welcome news, and for many overburdened practices could prove to be a lifeline.
Whilst this investment is a fantastic step in the right direction, the British Medical Association has rightly recognised this is just a starting point for the recovery of GP practices in the UK, saying there is more to be done.
An opportunity for transformation for GPs
This deal is a fantastic opportunity for GPs across the UK to invest in technology that will allow them to alleviate pressure on their staff and improve the patient experience. Online consultation technology has come on leaps and bounds, with one even boasting AI powered urgency detection.
Leveraging technology within GP practices is the key to making practices more efficient, cutting down on manual tasks, speeding up processes, and freeing up staff resources and being able to focus on providing quality care.
Modern online consultation systems are now equipped with heightened functionality. These include detecting when a patient’s request can be more appropriately handled via an alternative channel of care and signposting them away from their GP when possible. Translating requests so patient can communicate in their preferred language. Using AI to triage, meaning urgent requests and flagged and the rest are sorted by level of importance.
Enhanced Care for Patients
Online GP services allow patients to bypass the phone lines and send their GP a request online at a time that suits them, receive medical advice without leaving the house, and saves them time on travelling into a physical practice when they are possibly feeling unwell. One hopes, the result of this will be the majority of patients seeing online requests as their first point of call, leaving the phone lines free for those who really need to speak to a member of staff, and face-to-face appointments available for when they truly are necessary.
Finally, a government REALLY investing in health technology?
Investment in new technology in the healthcare sector is clearly at the forefront of Labour’s plans for the UK, with an estimated 2 billion pounds to be spent on new tech for the NHS announced at the end of 2024. With Prime Minister Keir Starmer making no secret of Labour’s plans to ‘turbo charge’ AI to support growth and improve the standard of living, it is evident that the government is seeing the power that technology has to transform processes in the UK for the better; long may this continue.
It will be interesting to see how and if this type of laser focused investment in healthcare will continue, meaningful change of course requires long term investment, but just as importantly wide scale adoption of the technologies available.
Strategically applying this investment, GPs can create a more resilient and patient-centric primary care system. At OneAdvanced, we are committed to supporting GPs on this journey, providing the technology and expertise needed to deliver exceptional care in the digital age.
Our solution effectively facilitates communication between patients and their GP. Find out more about Patchs and how it can support your practice here.
