Author: Heather Ryan

How can it be “ethical” to charge patients?

Access to our service will, unlike the NHS, be limited by ability to pay. However, NHS GP is not without barriers, especially now, as it can be limited by the ability to pick up the phone or internet at the correct time, or to prioritise one’s own needs appropriately.

Pillars of medical ethics

We are aware of the risks of describing ourselves as “ethical”. It is common to consider questions of medical ethics under four “pillars”: autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence and justice.

Justice

We believe it is for society rather than individual GPs to ensure justice of access to general practice, whether that be by ensuring that all patients have the means to pay for care, or whether that be by providing excellent NHS general practice.

A growing private GP sector will support just access to primary care by providing additional capacity (we will increase my working commitment significantly, for example), and perhaps also by helping to define expectations of NHS GP by providing a contrast.

Non-malificence

What possibly sets us apart is our commitment to non-maleficence (“first do no harm“), perhaps not always a priority for private healthcare providers, for whom there can be a temptation to sell tests and treatments without certainty that they will not cause undue anxiety, or that any condition so found definitely merits the side effects and risks of treatment.

Safety and value for money

So yes, we have to charge our patients. But we will do our utmost to ensure that we do not charge patients for appointments, tests or treatments that are not completely necessary. That way, our patients get value for money whilst receiving medical care as safe and high quality as possible.

Do GPs work 7 days a week?

NHS General Practice is available 24/7, via GP Out of Hours services – both Heather and John have done GP Out of Hours work in the past (Heather during the second wave of the pandemic in 2020).

Most NHS GPs work incredibly hard – 10 to 12 hour working days are not uncommon, and many GPs do log on to their computer at the weekend to catch up on paperwork and filing results, even if they are not working in Out of Hours. The reason that many patients are struggling to access NHS General Practice are complex and are not due to GPs being lazy – rather, issues like funding, recruitment, and retention contribute.

Heather and John both work in the NHS too, and will mostly be working for Formby GP at times they would not otherwise be working. Furthermore, we plan to offer a 7 day advice service to subscribers.

One of the advantages for us in doing private work is that it gives us a high degree of control and flexibility about when we work, which is particularly important to us because we have a child with health needs which require us to be available a lot of the time. The alternative for us isn’t doing more NHS work.

On a personal note, we have recently had a very positive experience at Ormskirk Hospital when our child was unwell. We are grateful to everyone who works in the NHS for the incredible work that they do.

Do we offer “MOTs”?

Bodies are so much more complex than cars! Before every consultation, we will check your blood pressure, pulse and weight (amongst other things). You probably don’t need us to tell you to lead a healthy lifestyle!

When considering tests, our usual approach is to recommend targeted testing for conditions that you seem to be at increased risk of. Typically this would be based on new symptoms you have noticed, but your family history, lifestyle and occupation might also give clues.

Some private clinics perform a vast array of tests on every adult that consults them. We believe we can add more value by being more judicious, thus saving you money and worry, and – most importantly – harmful treatment for conditions that might never have troubled you. This is why we describe Formby GP as “ethical”.

When appropriate, we can organise extensive blood tests, ECGs, x-rays and scans and more, and we will work towards offering more and more of these on site.

Opening tomorrow!

Our appointment booking page is now live, just in time for our opening day tomorrow! You can find it on our website at www.FormbyGP.com/book.

We will very soon be launching our Priority Club. As well as a guarantee that we will offer you an appointment within a reasonable timeframe, access to our community forum, and half price text consultations, we will waive our prescription charges for Priority Club members. We are making final adjustments to our back office systems and will let you know when this is ready, probably within the next few days.

For those who have signed up for our email updates since the last message: welcome! Here is a quick recap.

We understand that most patients want to see a doctor face-to-face, so we offer face-to-face appointments as standard. You will be able to contact us and book a GP appointment face-to-face, no questions asked. You will be able to see us in our discreet premises in Freshfield, or we can visit you at home. If you would prefer to speak to us via phone, video call, or text, we will offer these modalities too.

If you need investigations (such as X-rays) or referrals, we can arrange these – either privately, or via the NHS in many circumstances.

We know that your time and money are precious. We will not recommend investigations or treatments that you don’t need. We believe in offering tests and treatments that are more likely to help you than to harm you! If you have symptoms or concerns, or a family history of a particular condition, we will talk to you so we can decide together which tests and/or treatments are appropriate.