With many employees struggling to access NHS GP appointments, offering access to an on-site company GP is a benefit that is becoming increasingly valuable, argues Dr Charles Levinson.
We all know delays in NHS primary care are extensive and increasing, with millions struggling to see a doctor in a suitable timeframe. This is currently a key driving factor behind the soaring rise in demand for corporate visiting doctor services.
Corporate GPs can run regular clinics on company premises. Having a doctor in the office for a morning or two every month results allows employees to see a medical specialist, face to face, for health problems that may range from ‘significant’ to what may seem like ‘minor’, such as migraine or irritable bowel syndrome, but which for the patient concerned are not minor at all.
We are seeing a growing number of appointments for mental health issues, too. A staff member may feel uncomfortable talking with a colleague about their mental health and many prefer to speak to a doctor, especially if they’re available just down the corridor. This is something which can be difficult to achieve through the NHS, particularly with the pressure that NHS GPs are under.
Onward referrals
On-site doctors can provide advice and support and, where appropriate, make onward referrals to further mental health services which can be of huge help to those suffering.
They can also take blood pressure and diabetes readings. We, for example, ran roadshows across the past year, where a healthcare team was placed in an area of high footfall to offer check-ups and advice to enhance employee health.
As always in healthcare, there is a triangle with a lot of non-urgent conditions and smaller numbers of significant and urgent findings. Concerningly, we are increasingly finding the latter in corporate settings.”
The result, often, was that they picked up several cases requiring referral back to their GP for ongoing management. Untreated hypertension can lead to strokes and cardiovascular disease and untreated diabetes can lead to permanent organ damage, including to eyes and kidneys.
As always in healthcare, there can be a lot of non-urgent conditions and a smaller number of significant and urgent findings. Concerningly, we are increasingly finding the latter in corporate settings.
To cite another example, on a single client breast cancer awareness day our team picked up three lumps, which were immediately referred on urgently. For one client, a subsequently confirmed case of breast cancer was picked up and the patient is now undergoing treatment. Early diagnosis, we all know, is critical for breast cancer, which can otherwise become deadly.
Another good example is of a patient who had had disturbed eyesight over 10 days and who was struggling to get an appointment with his usual GP. We were able to diagnose him on the spot with a detached retina. That diagnosis meant he received early intervention, which very likely saved his eyesight in that eye.
Preventative healthcare
As any doctor will tell you, prevention is better than cure. Awareness days and roadshows are a vital part of work in helping staff not just identify potential problems, but it is equally important to get ahead of health problems in the first place.
On-site GP clinics are operated with an online booking system and generous appointment durations. In addition to diagnosis, advice, prescribing and referral, on-site doctors can organise tests, including blood tests, subject to contract and insurance arrangements. This greatly facilitates and speeds up getting patients into secondary care when required.
Ultimately, the situation in general primary care is unlikely to improve in the coming months and years. Delays will increase, as will the disruption they can cause to your staff and operations.
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On-site company doctors cannot of course replace NHS primary care, nor should they. But they are nevertheless a cost-effective way of shielding a business from these challenges and significantly bolstering the health and happiness of their workforce.
