Emerging Trends in Employee Benefits: The Provision of Remote GP Services
In 2020, we saw the first world pandemic for 100 years to impact on our daily lives and cause unprecedented economic and social dislocation.
As we enter 2021, we have returned to full lockdown with the NHS under great strain and approaching crisis in some areas. In the longer term it is certain that the pandemic will lead to significant changes in our lives, but it is perhaps too early to fully predict where these impacts will fall. What is already clear however is that changes in the way healthcare is delivered will be rapidly accelerated.
In the current economic climate, many employees are dealing with money worries and fears over job security. Overall wellbeing has worsened in the last 12 months and supporting wellbeing has only become more challenging. As businesses start to turn their attention to recovery in 2021, providing their employees with effective healthcare support will be key. Recent trends show that wellbeing and health are shaping the cultural agenda in most workplaces, as senior management are
taking note of the fact employees want to work somewhere that recognises and supports their needs and challenges.
Before the pandemic, one of the biggest causes of dissatisfaction for patients was the length of time it took to speak to a GP. Delays of up to 2 weeks had become common throughout the UK. COVID has led to many GP practices offering remote consultations and whilst studies indicate that most patients are comfortable with this approach, it has not led to any improvement in waiting times. The most pressing need now, particularly with new and more infectious strains of COVID emerging, is to immunise the population and although a vaccine programme has commenced, this will require a huge effort across the NHS leading to suspension and cancellation of many routine activities. GPs will be heavily engaged in administering vaccines and it is expected that this involvement will continue throughout the year and beyond.
A key task for everyone is to support the NHS as much as possible and this is where we at 1Stop4aGP can help business owners and managers make a meaningful contribution to the health and wellbeing of their employees and families by providing an efficient and affordable remote GP service. Our service is fully integrated with the NHS and provides telephone appointments with practicing GPs 24/7 with the option of video consultations between the hours of 8am and 10pm. Our service is extremely affordable and is possibly the single most effective employee benefit in the current climate.
