Concerns remain regarding providers of online GP services

The Care Quality Commission has reported concerns over providers of online GP services, despite some signs of improvement in the sector.

Providing GP consultations and prescriptions through independent websites and apps, online primary care services were assessed over five areas by the inspectorate, examining whether they are safe, caring, effective, responsive to people’s needs and well-led.

As of the end of February, the CQC found that 97 per cent of the providers were meeting the regulations around being ‘caring’ and that 90 per cent of the providers were meeting the regulations around being ‘responsive’ to people’s needs. However, the report found that online consultations have the potential to improve access and convenience for some patients.

In terms of safety, 43 per cent of the providers CQC inspected were found not to be providing ‘safe’ care in accordance to the relevant regulations, wth specific concerns over inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics, unsatisfactory approaches to safeguarding children and those who may not have the mental capacity to understand or consent to a consultation, not collecting patient information or sharing information with a patient’s NHS GP and inappropriate prescribing of medicines for long-term conditions.

Steve Field, Chief Inspector of General Practice at the CCQ, said: “New methods of service delivery that increase access to care and give patients more control over how and when they see a GP have huge potential not only for patients but for the wider health system.

“However, while innovation should be encouraged, it must never come at the expense of quality. As with all health care services, patient safety must be at the heart of all decisions around what kind of care is offered and how it is delivered. This is why we have taken action where we have seen risks to patients - and why we have been encouraged to see many providers take note of our findings and make swift improvements to how they operate."