Major GP provider partners with Push Doctor app

Modality Partnership, which serves around 400,000 patients, has announced it is partnering with Push Doctor, a digital GP app provider, to offer online consultations to nearly a quarter of its patients. 

Push Doctor will provide online consultations, under a pilot basis, to more than 99,000 patients across six Modality practices. Following this, depending on the success of the pilot, the provider hopes to roll the service out to all of its patients.

If the pilot is successful it will exceed the number of NHS patients who are served by another online consultation provider, GP at Hand. 

The news comes following calls made by new health secretary, Matt Hancock, that he’d like to see an increased uptake in technology innovations such as the GP at Hand app. 

In July this year, Modality took over three practices based in Lewisham, meaning it now serves more than 400,000 patients, potentially making it the largest GP provider in England.

Modality currently offers online consultations to all of its patients, although this is provided by its own GPs. HSJ understands the new scheme allows for consultations to be provided by GPs working for Push Doctor. 

A spokeswoman for Modality Partnership said it will implement “careful quality controlling” for all consultations that are going through the pilot, to ensure it is happy with the quality of the service. 

In March 2017, the CQC published a report into Push Doctor which said its “was not providing safe, well led or effective services but was providing caring and responsive services.”

In a statement, published today, Modality said: “The roadmap for this partnership will see Push Doctor providing online consultations with a number of Modality practices across multiple CCGs in the first instance. Over time, this will create the single largest digital point of access to GP care in combination with Push Doctor’s private practice, and will bring the benefits of improved access, efficiency and choice to the public at no additional cost to the NHS.

“The service will be free at the point of use for Modality patients…if a patient receives a virtual consultation with a GP and needs a face to face appointment they will always retain the ability to be seen in person as required.”

The statement added that all GPs, including those providing Push Doctor’s digital service, will have full access to patient records.