PushDoctor.co.uk

MJC · #1 17th October 2017, 17:04

This morning I attended my new GP practice and was far from impressed. The doctor was like a robot and instead of discussing my anxiety he persisted to check my weight and blood pressure. He said to discuss anxiety I would need to make another appointment.
Feeling sheepish I went back to reception to make another appointment and was told the next available one would be 9 November, over 3 weeks away. Not wanting to cause a scene I made the appointment and left. Came home and I was absolutely fuming. I really wanted to get the ball rolling to get myself feeling normal again.

I began googling and came across PushDoctor.co.uk. 10 minute appointment is £20 with each subsequent 10 minutes also costing £20. Or there was the option to go for premium membership which cost £20 per month with no extra charges for each 10 minute period plus free prescriptions (normally costs £8)

I joined as premium member as it states it can be cancelled anytime, booked a slot for 2.50pm and got talking to a helpful doctor who ran through questionnaires and diagnosed me as suffering from severe anxiety and moderate depression. I ran over the 10 minutes which means I would have been billed an additional £20 had I gone for standard membership. 5 minutes into this new segment my useless internet cut off, just as the doctor was beginning to discuss treatment options! Again I was fuming. Sat again for around 30 minutes trying to re-connect by which time it timed me out completely.

Anyway's booked another slot for 4pm, got connected with another doctor who had all the notes available from the first appointment. She ran through the options and decided to prescribe me Sertraline (Zoloft). I just clicked on accept and I was told it'll be available to collect from my nearest pharmacy within the hour. Excellent.

Just received the text message to say its available to collect so going to head out now and get it.

Anyone who gets anxious with doctors and waiting areas and who do not want to wait for a long time for an appointment should consider this as an alternative. It could be a little costly if you run over the 10 minutes as a standard member so perhaps consider signing up for premium for £20 for a month and then cancel if its something you feel you won't use again.

Appointment times are also very good, both mine were within 10 minutes of booking them.

So far I'm very very impressed. I'll update once I collect the prescription encase there are any issues with getting it.

Anyone used pushdoctor before?

MJC · #2 17th October 2017, 18:13

Collected my prescription from the pharmacy with no problems. Had to pay £5 but I'm not complaining. I've just popped my first one so

newbs16 · #3 17th October 2017, 19:11

It sounds like a good idea for certain medical conditions, what would happen if you need further investigations for other medical conditions?

MJC · #4 17th October 2017, 19:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by newbs16

It sounds like a good idea for certain medical conditions, what would happen if you need further investigations for other medical conditions?

Hi Newbs,

I'm not too sure what would happen there. I know they can make referrals to other health professionals. I will have to investigate this. But it's definitely quick and convenient for things that can be easily diagnosed without having to wait ages to see your GP.

newbs16 · #5 17th October 2017, 19:17

^ I agree for anxiety or medical problems that can be easily solved I think it's a great idea, well worth the money.

MJC · #6 17th October 2017, 19:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by newbs16

^ I agree for anxiety or medical problems that can be easily solved I think it's a great idea, well worth the money.

Also good for anxiety sufferers who just can't face leaving their home to go to their GP.

newbs16 · #7 17th October 2017, 19:20

^ Is there any form of followup?

MJC · #8 17th October 2017, 19:42

Yes, they suggest making an appointment on a day so you can go and book another for that date. I'm not sure if you'll see the same doctor though...

Another good thing is anything they do is relayed back to your normal GP. You have to select your practice upon sign up.

newbs16 · #9 17th October 2017, 19:49

I hope you start to feel better soon.

MJC · #10 17th October 2017, 19:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by newbs16

I hope you start to feel better soon.

Thanks Newbs,

I'm in a pretty good mood just knowing that I've got something for it and I don't have to wait another 3 weeks to even get a diagnosis from my GP

firemonkey · #11 18th October 2017, 11:13

A note of caution. https://www.digitalhealth.net/2017/0...ective-by-cqc/

notanotherone02 · #12 18th October 2017, 21:32

Wow, that sounds fantastic. Glad you got the care/prescription you needed the other day so quickly.

MJC · #13 18th October 2017, 22:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boy

That sounds fantastic!
So if you are a premium member, there's no limit of how many appointments can you have? Can I speak to doctors for an hour or more during a day? Is it only regarding the mental health or you can discuss any health problem you have?
Last thing, is why you was charged £5 for medication? You first mentioned it was free.

Sorry for so many questions, but most of the usual GP's are really disappointing...

Sorry for the delay to reply, Boy. I believe there is a fair usage policy but not sure how many appointments are included. I'll try to find out how it works though.

There is a list of conditions they can treat on their site. You can view it here

Doctors on push doctor write private prescriptions and so this was the reason why I had to pay the £5 at the pharmacy. Push Doctor charge £8 to write a private prescription as a standard member but premium membership they write them for free. The dispensing charge at the pharmacy still applies though. I'm happy enough though as I got a months supply. Plus they'll refer this prescription back to my GP so when I go back there in November he'll know what I was prescribed and should happily write an NHS prescription, saving me the fiver. Not that I mind paying for prescriptions anyway and I think the NHS would be far better off if this were the case, but that's a debate for another day lol.

Quote:

Originally Posted by firemonkey

A note of caution. https://www.digitalhealth.net/2017/0...ective-by-cqc/

Interesting. I wouldn't advise this as a replacement for a GP practice, but helpful if you're suffering from something deemed not an emergency and where you can't get an appointment with your regular GP.

Quote:

Originally Posted by notanotherone02

Wow, that sounds fantastic. Glad you got the care/prescription you needed the other day so quickly.

Thank-you. I've only had 2 pills and already getting some side effects. SA has gotten a little worse and I've spent most of the day slouching about, uninterested in anything. My new camera arrived today, want to get back into photography and I haven't even the interest to open it.

notanotherone02 · #14 19th October 2017, 00:12

Hi,

Aww, sorry to hear you're having side effects. I really hope that starts to improve for you soon.

MJC · #15 19th October 2017, 14:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by notanotherone02

Hi,

Aww, sorry to hear you're having side effects. I really hope that starts to improve for you soon.

Thanks for your kind words. Thankfully its not the nasty ones like vomiting etc. I tend not to read the side effects on the leaflet so as not to trick the brain. Eg. if a side effect is listed as sore back your brain will trick you into believing your back is sore. Is this called hysteria??