People in Hemel Hempstead can now see a GP at the chemist but it will cost you
and live on Freeview channel 276
The private consultation will cost £39 for 15 minutes, plus the cost of any medication prescribed.
The doctor will give long distance advice after a 'virtual examination' using state-of-the-art diagnostic technology including a connected stethoscope, close examination camera, thermometer, pulse oximeter and blood pressure devices .
Advertisement
Advertisement
The new service is available at Jupiter Chemist in Hemel Hempstead. It has been launched by Medicspot, a startup founded by an NHS doctor to support overstretched resources.
Founder Dr Zubair Ahmed says the service has proved invaluable in other parts of the country, where NHS patients are regularly forced to wait over two weeks for a GP appointment or in more urgent cases, spending several hours in a waiting room at A&E.
“We’re not aiming to replace NHS GP surgeries but as doctors, we are all concerned about waiting times and the problems this can inevitably cause”, he said.
"We believe that giving patients options of how and when they see the doctor will improve satisfaction and health. We are delighted to be one of only a few online GP services to have been commended by the Care Quality Commission.”
Advertisement
Advertisement
Taif Murtadah, owner at Jupiter Chemist in Hemel Hempstead believes the new in-pharmacy service will help to ease pressure on local NHS resources, offering time-strapped residents a fast, effective, and accurate alternative to the traditional GP surgery.
“Increasingly, pharmacists and GPs are working together to provide a health service that’s second to none. It makes absolute sense to work as a team, ensuring that patients will benefit from our joint medical expertise, benefiting from peace of mind or relief from discomfort, often much faster than has previously been possible.”
Dr Wasif Razzaq, a GP who will be using the technology to see patients in Hemel Hempstead, says: “The ability to take vital signs and examine patients is a massive step forward in how clinically supported I feel when managing patients remotely.”
To make an appointment, people in Hemel Hempstead can book online, at Jupiter Chemist or over the phone by calling 020 3637 8398.
People in Hemel Hempstead can book online at medicspot.co.uk/clinics/england/hertfordshire/hemel-hempstead/hemel-hempstead-highfield-clinic