DIY doctors are heading for Morecambe in bid to cut GP waiting times

A new ‘DIY doctors’ scheme is on its way to Morecambe as latest figures show that 24 per cent of people in Morecambe Bay are waiting longer than two weeks to get seen by a GP – with thousands waiting over a month for an appointment.
Co-founder Dr Zubair Ahmed with the new Medicspot digital health service, complete with blood pressure, thermometer, pulse oximeter, close examination camera and stethoscope connected devices. The station will be introduced to pharmacies across Morecambe early next year.Co-founder Dr Zubair Ahmed with the new Medicspot digital health service, complete with blood pressure, thermometer, pulse oximeter, close examination camera and stethoscope connected devices. The station will be introduced to pharmacies across Morecambe early next year.
Co-founder Dr Zubair Ahmed with the new Medicspot digital health service, complete with blood pressure, thermometer, pulse oximeter, close examination camera and stethoscope connected devices. The station will be introduced to pharmacies across Morecambe early next year.

Recent NHS figures suggest that 74 per cent of residents in the area were not offered a choice of time or date for their appointment, and seven in 10 did not get a same-day appointment with a GP.

Meanwhile, 26 per cent of people in Morecambe Bay find it difficult to get through to their practice by phone. This comes as the area gears up for the December 12 general election, with the NHS at the centre of the major parties’ election campaigns.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The new report comes from Medicspot, a digital health company hoping to put an end to the wait in Morecambe by allowing doctors to perform remote examinations using equipment operated by the patient.

This new initiative allows doctors to listen to a patient’s heart and lungs, look into their ears and throat, and take their vitals including blood pressure, oxygen levels and body temperature – all without needing to be in the same room.

Dr Zubair Ahmed, co-founder of Medicspot, said: “In light of these figures, we hope our service will offer a convenient alternative for people in Morecambe and help ease some of the pressures the NHS is facing.

“Longer wait times lead to more strain on an already struggling NHS. When patients are forced to wait weeks to see a GP, they often end up waiting for hours at A&E”, Dr Ahmed explains.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

A national survey of patients who have used the new service revealed 40 per cent of respondents would have gone to accident and emergency if they didn’t use Medicspot – generating a £1.2m saving for the NHS.

This saving comes after news A&E waiting times have hit the worst level on record, with one in six patients waiting more than four hours and warnings that patients are about to endure one of the bleakest winters in NHS history.

Medicspot is already available in more than 250 pharmacies across the UK, where patients pay £39 for a same-day GP consultation. The company plans to bring the service to pharmacies across Morecambe early next year.

While the majority of Medicspot patients are comfortable operating the equipment themselves, a trained pharmacist is always available for those who need help.

The full report from Medicspot is available online at https://www.medicspot.co.uk/reports/gp-report-2019