Ramsay Health Care UK is giving patients access to self-pay online GP appointments from Doctor Care Anywhere with onward referrals back into Ramsay’s network of hospitals and specialists where secondary care is required.
Ramsay Health Care UK patients will benefit from access to UK-registered GPs via video and phone consultations, available 24/7, and where a GP consultation identifies the need for specialist treatment, patients will be offered a direct referral into Ramsay Health Care UK’s network of hospitals and consultants.
Where a referral is made, a full clinical summary will flow between Doctor Care Anywhere’s (DCA) virtual GPs and Ramsay’s secondary care teams, the providers said.
With patient consent, this clinical record can also be shared with the patient’s NHS GP, ensuring their broader care team remains fully informed, they added.
In terms of the pricing of the service, DCA said it works with a range of insurers, employers and healthcare partners, and the way its GP service is accessed and priced is agreed individually with each partner, with Ramsay customers accessing the GP service through the terms of DCA’s partnership with Ramsay.
On whether DCA is referring all patients however they find DCA into the Ramsay services, DCA added referrals from its GP service are always clinically led.
It added its GPs are independent clinicians who make onward referral decisions based on the individual patient’s clinical needs and their own preferences — not on any commercial relationship.
DCA further confirmed that where onward care is appropriate, patients may be signposted to the NHS, back to their own GP, or referred to a suitable specialist or provider, which can include Ramsay services where these are clinically appropriate and the patient chooses to use them.
A patient is never obligated to use Ramsay services, and using DCA’s GP service does not commit them to any onward Ramsay pathway, the provider added.
And when asked whether DCA can refer patients elsewhere and not just to Ramsay services, DCA added it issues open referrals and the patient can take that referral to any private provider.
Nick Costa, chief executive officer of Ramsay Health Care UK, said it was part of a joined-up pathway for patients.
“Doctor Care Anywhere will serve as a primary care entry point; providing our patients with fast, accessible virtual GP consultations – with seamless referrals into Ramsay’s hospitals and specialists where secondary care is needed,“ he said.
“During the process we were continually impressed with DCA’s ability to provide care when it mattered most, alongside being genuinely engaging to work with.”
Laura O’Riordan, chief executive officer of Doctor Care Anywhere, added: “This partnership with Ramsay Health Care UK reflects our shared commitment to putting patients first.
“By combining Doctor Care Anywhere’s virtual GP capability with Ramsay’s outstanding secondary care network, we’re creating a pathway that is faster, more connected and more convenient for patients.
“Our GPs will be able to refer patients directly into Ramsay’s specialist services, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks and that every patient gets the care they need, when they need it.”