NUFFIELD HEALTH AND DOCTOR CARE ANYWHERE STRENGTHEN PARTNERSHIP WITH ANNOUNCEMENT OF NEW INTEGRATED PRIMARY CARE SERVICE

NUFFIELD HEALTH AND DOCTOR CARE ANYWHERE STRENGTHEN PARTNERSHIP WITH

ANNOUNCEMENT OF NEW INTEGRATED PRIMARY CARE SERVICE

Nuffield Health and Doctor Care Anywhere have announced that they are developing a unique health

service which will see virtual and face-to-face services integrated through a single digital platform. Due

to launch in Q4 this year, the partnership will combine Doctor Care Anywhere’s 24/7 virtual GP service

with Nuffield Health’s national network of face-to-face GPs creating the first joined up primary care

proposition of its kind.

This new service will transform the health journeys of patients by allowing them to choose how, when

and where they access the primary care services they require. Combining the availability of virtual GP

appointments with the face-to-face services offered across Nuffield Health’s hospital, fitness & wellbeing

and corporate on-site centres will mean customers of the UK’s largest healthcare charity will have access

to an expanded scope of services which can be accessed, reviewed or followed up on one platform.

The COVID-19 pandemic has permanently changed the way many patients are willing to access primary

healthcare services. This shift began well before the pandemic as increasing access and understanding

of technology encouraged many patients to seek the responsiveness and convenience of digital

healthcare. The unique circumstances created by COVID-19 has accelerated and cemented this change

in behaviour with many patients now demanding access to GP services whenever they need it and

wherever they are.

This shift to digital is particularly welcome at a time when there is huge pressure on NHS primary care

systems. This new service aligns the changing needs of corporate workforces across the country. For

many organisations preparations for a return to the office are emphasising an increasing focus on

employee health and wellbeing and facilitating access to responsive, convenient primary care services.

Dr Davina Deniszczyc, Medical Director at Nuffield Health, said, “We are delighted to be strengthening

our partnership with Doctor Care Anywhere to offer customers access to a national network of virtual

and face to face GPs. The pandemic has demonstrated the need for accessible health services and

through this partnership we are now able to offer everyone the choice of how they access their GP,

whenever they need to.”

Doctor Care Anywhere, CEO, Dr. Bayju Thakar, said, “We’re very excited to be providing the first joinedup

healthcare journey of this kind in the UK and to be deepening our partnership with Nuffield Health.

This new collaboration, the first joined up service of its type in the UK, will bring the benefits of digital

healthcare to the face-to-face primary care setting and allow individuals more control over how, where

and when they choose to access primary care services. This represents a true shift in how healthcare can

and should be delivered on a national scale and at a time when there is a huge pressure on primary care

systems across the UK offers real improvements in terms of convenience, cost and quality of the care

experience.”