The Death of the GP in the UK

I predict we are witnessing the beginning of the end of the General Practitioner (GP) service in the UK. I’m not sure if this is a good or a bad thing, it depends on how it plays out.

The starting point of my thinking is that I believe that GP practices are out of touch with the needs and expectations of their list (of patients); they are too busy understanding their operational needs. A couple of examples of this would be:

• One of my family booked an appointment to see their GP and the first date offered was 22 days (just over 6% of the year) away.
• A friend needs to have regular treatment, an injection, every eight weeks at their GP practice. The next appointment cannot be made at the time of leaving, it has to be made a couple of weeks before the appointment is needed (see the point above!).
• GPs do not appear to have a unified voice or a standardised delivery/service.

This may suit the GP, but it is not what the public wants.

When demand for a service is not being satisfied it paves the way for new delivery models to get established. Patients, we have choices!

• In most large towns and cities, emergency/walk-in GP services are now being set up in convenient central locations. No fuss, no reception ‘barricade’, minimal wait.
• Pharmacies can provide advice and treatments for many illnesses with no appointment.
• Digital natives can talk to a GP via an app or through a website, often on the same day. Here are some of the players:
  • Evergreen Life
  • Lybrate
  • The GP Service
  • Push Doctor
  • Livi
  • Babylon Health
  • The big pharmacy businesses are pushing ahead here as well. Read this appraisal.
  • And, there are many more.

Look at the value some of these services can offer UK businesses:

Keep Your Business Healthy
An accessible online GP could save UK businesses £1.5bn in lost time.

With 24/7 healthcare at their fingertips, your employees can access fast and convenient healthcare anytime, anywhere.
Online GP provides the right care at the right time to your employees, whether they need to speak to a healthcare professional or have their prescription delivered to their door. With access to appointments with healthcare professionals – 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, from anywhere in the world, we can help you support your most valuable assets – your people.

Source: Sodexo

NB: I’ve deliberately not listed the NHS 111 service as this is a different thing. Essentially it’s a phone-based triage service to take pressure off from 999 calls.

Imagine the investment that is going into these online and app-based GP services in the UK. It must be an enormous amount. Start comparing that to the level of investment you see at your local GP practice that isn’t satisfying everyone. What will the logical trend be?

When I started writing this, I thought my opinion would be controversial. During the process I realised that the writing is on the wall for traditional GP services as we have seen them over the last fifty years; their demise has already begun.

Will we miss traditional GPs? Certainly, many people will. I think a larger number won’t mind. A growing number will be thrilled at the choice of new options.

Kevin Harrington Partner

Kevin Harrington is a Partner at Exit Factor UK, helping SME owners increase business value & build a rewarding, well-planned exit. Former CMO at BBC Worldwide.

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