myGP Launches Remote Consultation With Over 1000 General Practitioners

myGP, accessed via a smartphone app by patients and through a secure web interface by clinicians, is the UK’s largest independent medical app with over 1.3 million active users. Now connecting over 6,500 GP practices myGP has been the most downloaded medical app in the UK for most of 2019.

The launch of video consultation as part of its remote consultation module will complement the existing features of intelligent care navigation, data aggregation for appointment triage, prescription ordering and medical record access, as well as medication reminders, appointment booking, health tracking and patient messaging to provide a holistic solution to help practices deliver digital first primary care.

Following a successful trial with over 85 GPs, remote consultation is being rolled out to over 1,000 GPs and 500 other healthcare professionals including practice nurses, meaning that video consultation will soon be an option for over 1.75 million patients in England. Unlike online only providers of GP services, myGP works with patients’ registered surgery, enabling video consultation with their own GP - allowing myGP to act as an end to end solution for primary care. The NHS assured app, is fully interoperable with all three major clinical systems, meaning patients at 97% of practices in England can use myGP to manage their health.

CEO Tobias Alpsten commented “Our new remote consultation module connects with myGP appointment booking and intelligent care navigation to create a seamless digital experience for patients, administrators and clinicians. We wanted to create a solution that not only helped practices meet the digital agenda but one that truly reduces the pressure in what we all know is an overstretched NHS. We have worked closely with GPs and practices to develop and test an integrated system that not only simplifies access to healthcare for patients but reduces demand and frees up GP time to transform the patient healthcare experience.”

Rated number one in terms of downloads in both app stores myGP is the patient’s app of choice for accessing health services in the UK. myGP is helping practices achieve the targets set out in the GP Contract to offer ‘digital first’ primary care by April 2020. With NHS assurance for SystmOne and EMIS Health alongside integrations to Vision combined with the availability of additional modules, myGP is set to transform the digital landscape in primary care and beyond.

Intelligent care navigation on myGP has proven to reduce unnecessary appointments in primary care by up to 26% by signposting patients to alternate points of care, such as a pharmacy, local services or self-care. With the launch of remote consultation including video consultation, GPs will now have the option to use the information that has been input by the patient to interact and triage them ahead of their booked appointment - further reducing unnecessary appointments. Where appropriate and safe, GPs can use the information to signpost the patient to relevant services or resources.

Lemarie Moses, head of product at iPLATO commented, “we pride ourselves in developing products that seamlessly integrate into the day-to-day lives of clinicians and patients. We have been working in this sector for over ten years and the products that we have developed are used to improve the daily lives of people throughout the country. The launch of remote consultation with video cements myGPs place as the market leader in its field and I am really proud of the team’s achievement.”

Recently iPLATO and the myGP platform were awarded a place on the £600 million GPIT Futures Framework. From January 2020, STPs, CCGs, PCNs and other commissioning bodies will be able to utilise the framework to commission the first-class technological and digital capabilities.

iPLATO are also one of 25 companies committed to the 2020 ABHI US Accelerator programme. The scheme, coordinated by the UK’s leading HealthTech trade association, ABHI, is designed to help successful UK businesses accelerate their export activity within the US. ABHI’s Managing director, International, Paul Benton, said: “This is yet another key step in iPLATO’s journey to digitalise healthcare access and delivery. Their work is freeing up the time of clinicians, whilst enabling an effective patient service and I am delighted to witness their success here in the UK. I look forward to working with the company and supporting them as they look to bring these solutions to patients Stateside.”