Doctorlink Selected to Provide NHS Video Consultations and Online Triage During COVID-19
The leading symptom assessment platform is already available to 11 million NHS patients across the UK – and will be extended to millions more under the scheme
LONDON, April 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Doctorlink has been selected to provide NHS video consultations and online triage across England during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The leading symptom assessment provider to the NHS, Doctorlink is already available to 11 million NHS patients across England and will be extended to millions more under the scheme.
The platform can assess over 95 per cent of possible health conditions – including the novel coronavirus – and help patients to find the correct service and appointment for their needs.
Patients can download the Doctorlink app from the Apple Store and Google Play to assess what might be wrong with them, book a GP appointment and request their repeat prescriptions without having to wait in a phone queue. They will also be able to use the platform to access video consultations with their own NHS GP.
The system brings benefits to doctors by saving 15,000 annual clinical hours per general practice each year, while diverting up to 22 per cent of cases to more appropriate forms of care – such as safe self-care at home. On average, practices using Doctorlink have seen a 35 per cent reduction in the need for same-day appointments.
The platform has been able to screen for COVID-19 coronavirus since the first case was identified in January, following guidance from NHS England, Public Health England and the UK government.
The platform has been continually updated in line with new medical and scientific evidence on the novel coronavirus. The most recent release updated Doctorlink to identify potential coronavirus patients who are more vulnerable due to their age or underlying health conditions and offer appropriate advice.
The latest update also supports general practices by prioritising remote appointments to contain the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus. Where patients were previously recommended a face-to-face appointment for their symptoms, they are now diverted to request a telephone or video appointment.
The app's algorithms will be continually updated in line with government guidance as more information is released about COVID-19 and its spread.
Rupert Spiegelberg, Chief Executive Officer of Doctorlink, commented:
"COVID-19 is accelerating the need for healthcare systems to deploy scaleable technologies to ensure people can get access to healthcare in a timely fashion. Doctorlink is honoured to be part of the solution and combined with its online symptom assessment service will be working day and night in the coming days and weeks to supporting the NHS get this technology in to the hands of frontline GPs."
About Doctorlink
Doctorlink is the UK's leading health and symptom assessment platform, providing 24/7 access to healthcare for over 10 million NHS patients covering 1,350 GP practices. Through its clinical decision algorithm, Doctorlink is transforming the industry, enabling payers and providers to save cost, improve efficiencies, and increase the accessibility of healthcare. The platform helps people engage in their health and wellbeing, guiding them to the right care, leading to better outcomes and driving prevention.
Founded by Eight Roads, a global proprietary investment firm backed by Fidelity, and headquartered in the UK with offices in the US, Doctorlink has over 125 employees globally. It provides fully customisable and scalable SaaS products for the world's largest healthcare organisations including AXA, BUPA, Kaiser Permanente and Web MD, and has provided 60 million health assessments to date.
Developed over 18 years by a team of expert clinicians and technology visionaries, Doctorlink's Symptom Assessment is registered with the MHRA as a Medical Device and has recently been selected for the GP IT Futures Framework.
Doctorlink's algorithms are medico-legal compliant and indemnified with rigorous clinical governance and licensed independent peer review. The algorithms combine Bayesian logic to ensure robust clinical safety and AI learning to drive continuous improvement methodology.
Doctorlink has recently been shortlisted to the Financial Times' Sifted "Top UK Startups to Follow in 2020" list.
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