More than 400,000 patients in the Devon and Southampton Primary Care Networks (PCNs) are set to benefit from enhanced access to GP services, via online video consultations from Livi. The digital first healthcare provider, will provide evening and weekend appointments thanks to seven new Enhanced Access contracts awarded last month.
According to the latest ONS winter survey, half a million more people – 18.3 million in total – tried to get a GP appointment in mid- to late February compared to earlier in the winter period between November 2022 to February 2023. This was an increase of 500,000 on the previous period, when 17.8 million people (34 percent) tried to make an appointment.
Stephen Bates Primary Care Network Digital & Transformation Manager from Waterside Health Network PCN said: “Combining digital appointments with our surgery and telephone appointment options gives our patients more choice on how and when they access Primary Care services. This enables us to prioritise our patient needs, reduce pressure on A&E and free-up capacity for face-to-face appointments. Digital consultations have long been part of our patient appointment model giving some patients that cannot travel or struggle in a surgery environment access to virtual appointments. The Livi team's swift setup and high standard of care has impressed us, ensuring our patients continue to receive seamless, reliable care.”
With the NHS gearing up for another tough winter with growing shortages of GPs, increased demand, and less funding, Livi has been supporting more than 170 PCNs across 14 integrated care boards (ICBs) to deliver remote GP consultations.
The blended approach between online and in-person consultations is a rising trend. Since the start of autumn, Livi has seen a 25 percent increase in the number of GP partnerships seeking digital contracts to meet rising patient demand through Enhanced Access funding. Introduced in October 2022, Enhanced Access contracts have seen PCNs, and GP practices provide additional services from 6.30pm-8pm Monday to Friday, and 9am-5pm on Saturdays.
Jamie Griffin, Head of NHS Partnerships Livi said: “We now deliver more than 7,000 appointments per week because we can flex our demand and deliver care at scale. By streamlining care delivery, digital services can help reduce administrative burdens and lower operating costs for the PCN. With increasing demands placed on GPs, Livi supports the entire patient journey, helping to alleviate pressure on overburdened practices.”
Livi has already mobilised five out of the seven new contracts with patients being able to access appointments via the Livi App. As the most experienced provider of Enhanced Access services, the company can tailor its suite of digital services according to practice and local patient population needs, as well as integrate seamlessly into EMIS and SystemOne.
Livi has been operational in the UK since 2018 providing its services to more than 11 million NHS patients and is one of the largest employers of GPs in the UK.
