2022 saw the highest percentage of working hours lost due to sickness in the UK since 2004, rising from 2.2% to 2.6%. The increase in the sickness absence rate was seen across all age groups with the most common reason being minor illnesses, accounting for 29.3% of the cases. This has resulted in a cost of £20.6bn to the UK economy, an increase of £3.7bn.

And with the NHS under tremendous pressure and many people finding it difficult to see their GP, employers are finding themselves at a loss and are looking for solutions to help mitigate the increase in sickness related absence.

Companies are seeking innovative ways to ensure their workforce remains healthy and productive and can aid in reducing absence and alleviating presenteeism, whilst also supporting their employees’ health and wellbeing. Digital GP services, (often referred to as Virtual GP services) like Doctor Care Anywhere, provides your colleagues with the convenience of accessible healthcare which positively influences their wellbeing whilst also contributing to your company's overall performance and business objectives.

Is your business overlooking the benefit of a digital GP service?

According to NHS figures, each month more than 5 million patients in England are having to wait more than two weeks for a GP appointment and 26% of patients wait more than a week for an appointment. That is a stark contrast to the wait time for consultations with a digital healthcare provider, in July 2023, 82% of Doctor Care Anywhere appointments were within 16 hours.  So, we can certainly see why more and more companies are starting to investigate alternative options. According to a survey conducted by ‘Employee Benefits’ readers, virtual GP services are the most used employee benefit (42%). 

What is a digital GP service?

In a nutshell a digital GP service, offers remote, unlimited access to GPs via video or phone, meaning that your employees can access health advice, support, and treatment from wherever they are. The purpose is to provide a fast, convenient, and flexible way to access the healthcare they need and obtain a timely consultation without having to struggle with long NHS wait times or the inconvenience of having to attend in person.

Unlike some of our competitors, Doctor Care Anywhere offers 24/7 access to appointments which allows your employees to not only speak to a clinician from home, work or even on the go, but also at a time that suits them. Additionally, our expanded network of clinicians to include Advanced Clinical Practitioners (ACPs) which complements our existing GP service, gives your employees more choice of appointment times, with more healthcare professionals.

Doctor Care Anywhere also works seamlessly alongside the NHS and with the patients' consent notes and records can be shared with their NHS GP, so this means there’s no need to de-register from their regular doctors’ surgery.

What are the benefits of including a digital GP service into your employee benefits package?

With health and wellness being one of the most sought-after employee benefits, it can help your company to drive a greater workplace experience; whilst offering exceptional employee benefits can also support companies in keeping and attracting top talent. A digital healthcare service is a perk that shouldn’t be overlooked, as not only can it keep your employees engaged, productive and feel cared for, it also offers organisations an advantage in an already competitive job market. 

1. Convenience and accessibility

Reduce the time away from work needed to attend in person appointments, as well as the hassle for your employees to travel to their consultation. Remote appointments provided your colleagues with the flexibility to choose an appointment time that works around their schedule, which can be conducted from their homes, work or a place that suits them. Doctor Care Anywhere also offers the ability for prescriptions to be delivered to their door or collect form their local pharmacy within a few hours, as well as the ability to access their medical records 24/7 in a few clicks. “I had a virtual appointment booked and was seen by a lovely GP within 2 hours. I had a prescription ready for the next day. It was a great service, I’d thoroughly recommend.” – Patient, Doctor Care Anywhere

2. Avoid long wait times

Waiting weeks for an appointment with an NHS GP is not only frustrating, which can put people off from making an appointment in the first place, but it can also make symptoms worse as well cause distress to your colleagues. With unlimited 24/7 access to appointments, Doctor Care Anywhere offers round-the-clock care with consultations available within a few hours, allowing employees to seek medical advice every day of the year (including bank holidays), from wherever they are with a team of fully qualified clinicians. “I’ve used this service twice now and both times I’ve been able to get an appointment with no more than an hours’ notice”. – Patient, Doctor Care Anywhere. 

3. Choice of clinician

Dependant on their health concern your colleagues can choose to speak with a GP or ACP and with consultations up to 20 minutes long your employees will have the time to talk through their concerns, without feeling rushed. They can also select a clinician based on their gender or specialism. “The nurse I spoke with was delightful as well as helpful and listened to my symptoms”. – Patient, Doctor Care Anywhere. 

4. Reduce sickness related absence

With an accessible healthcare service like Doctor Care Anywhere, when a health concern arises your colleagues have instant access through their phone, or computer, to a team of clinicians that can provide the help, advice, or medication they need to help them get back to feeling, and being their best, sooner.

5. Reduced healthcare costs

Addressing health issues early can potentially lead to cost and time savings by avoiding more serious medical interventions which may be needed later. Our clinicians have the ability and autonomy to offer private referrals for further treatment if needed.

6. Attracting and retaining talent

Providing modern and convenient employee healthcare options can make your organisation more appealing to prospective employees and help retain existing staff. “Doctor Care Anywhere service is without a shadow of a doubt the most genuinely useful employment benefit our benefits package offers.” – Patient, Doctor Care Anywhere. 

7. Employee wellbeing

Offering an online GP service as part of an employee benefits package demonstrates a commitment to employee wellbeing, contributing to higher job satisfaction and morale. But we also need to look after the mental wellbeing of our workforce. At Doctor Care Anywhere we take a 360° approach to health, treating the mind and body as one. If your employees are struggling with their mental health not only can they book an appointment with our ACPs and GPs to discuss their concern, but they will also have access to My Health, a wellbeing tool that’s full of resources curated by experts to help with mental wellbeing.

8. Trusted and recommended healthcare

When looking for advice and help with a health concern, it’s important that we trust that we’re speaking with professionals that are qualified to diagnose and treat our symptoms. All our GPs are registered with the GMC and have at least 5 years’ experience working within the NHS. Our ACPs are fully qualified, highly skilled, and trained clinicians, who’ve undertaken post graduate training and masters’ qualifications in clinical practice. All our clinicians have also undergone specialist training in remote consultations, which means they’re ready to help your colleagues when they need them. And with a current NPS score of 75+ and Trust Pilot score of 4.2 the Doctor Care Anywhere service is one that is not only trusted but also recommended.

How can Doctor Care Anywhere help your business?

At a time when your employees may be struggling to access the healthcare they need, when they need it, a digital healthcare service should be a fundamental element of your employee wellbeing strategy as it provides them with the ability to be able to access remote clinician appointments on-demand, from wherever they are.

Doctor Care Anywhere can provide tailored and bespoke corporate packages to suit your business size and needs, which can help you tackle issues relating sickness absence, productivity in the workplace, employee engagement and satisfaction through an inclusive, innovative a digitally led healthcare solution.

If you would like one of our team to contact you with more information about how we can help you keep your business and look after your most important asset, your people – please fill out our short form and a team member will be in touch.