Should all GP appointments go online?
There could be a “dramatic” change to how GPs see patients in the future, with around half of consultations moving online.
Only one in every seven GP appointments is being held face to face, highlighting the extent to which coronavirus has affected community healthcare.
Professor Martin Marshall, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, told the Commons Health and Social Care Committee there had been a large uptake in virtual consultations due to Covid-19, in part because doctors had been given more sophisticated technology and equipment.
He told MPs: “There’s going to be a dramatic change.”
Professor Martin Marshall said: “We can’t do physical examinations over the phone, we can’t give vaccinations or take blood tests.
“It’s a different skill to face-to-face consulting, but it can be effective, especially for patients with simple conditions.”
What are your views? Are you happy to have online appointments with your GP in the future? Have you already experienced this? Or is your preference to go to the surgery for an appointment?
