Nurture Healthy Employees with Online GP

What is Online GP?

Online GP is our digital health platform that provides your employees with the right care at the right time. Whether they need to speak to a healthcare professional or have their prescription delivered to their door, Online GP provides access to appointments - 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, from anywhere in the world.

So, what does our Online GP digital health platform offer?

• GP & Advanced Nurse Practitioner Consultations: In the case of Online GP, you’ll be embedding an employee benefit into your business that allows employees to book video and phone appointments with GPs and Advanced Nurse Practitioners (ANPs) via desktop or an app. Employees can book twenty-minute appointments at a convenient time, so there’s no need to waste working hours sitting in a waiting room.

• Unlimited Appointments: With Online GP, there are no caps on how many appointments your employees can book. Medical support is available on an unlimited basis, 24/7, 365 days a year, making it a genuinely supportive and inclusive employee benefit.

• Works Alongside Your NHS Surgery: With permission, your Online GP notes can be shared with your NHS doctor, so there’s no need to de-register from your local NHS surgery.

• Choice in Consultants: If your employees need to discuss something more sensitive or just need to make themselves feel more comfortable, they can not only choose the gender of their consultant, but they can pick a specific clinician.

• Prescription Delivery: If your consultation results in the need for medication, Online GP handles that too, delivered to your door or local pharmacy – whatever your preference.

• Quick Consult: Sometimes, an employee will know exactly what’s wrong with them. This is where the Quick Consult feature comes into its own. Simply select Quick Consult and follow the steps on the screen, and your employees will be able to receive health advice and any required medication without needing to book an appointment.

• My Health: Sometimes, employees just need tips on how to keep healthy in their everyday lives. Online GPs My Health feature is a wellbeing tool kit your people can access at the touch of a button.

Why is Online GP needed?

The NHS is in a state of crisis, and the UK is facing a shortage of GPs, putting a strain on the service and impacting patients.

NHS data from January 2023 states that 26% of patients had to wait more than one week to get a GP appointment. Compare that with Online GP statistics highlighting that 100% of appointments were booked within 24 hours and 96% were in 8 hours.* 

Let’s talk about Advanced Nurse Practitioners (ANPs).

The NHS ‘Long Term Plan’ advocates for nurses to be at the forefront of primary care. Now embedded into Online GP's mixed clinical workforce, our highly qualified ANPs can help with a wide variety of health concerns and are the ‘go-to’ for minor ailments or a flare-up of illness. ANPs can assess your condition, diagnose, and treat your symptoms, issue prescriptions, plan any required follow-ups, and do a referral for further treatment – thus ensuring your employees have uninterrupted access to medical support.

30% of people admitted that they never see their GP when they feel unwell because taking time off work is too difficult. We don’t always care for ourselves as best as possible, especially when seeking help feels like another job. 

A healthy and happy workforce is more engaged, productive, and has fewer sickness absences, making Online GP an investment in the health of your employees that comes with a measurable return. 

The benefits of offering Online GP to your people

38% of people say that accessing an Online GP would improve their mental wellbeing because of the speed and ease of booking an appointment. Furthermore, an accessible Online GP service could save UK businesses £1.5 billion in lost time.

Absenteeism

41% of adults take half a day off work to attend GP appointments.

According to ONS, an estimated 185.6 million working days were lost because of sickness or injury in 2022.

Online GP reduces absenteeism by making consultations accessible from a quiet space in the office or the home, meaning employees need only take 15 to 20 minutes out of their working day to attend their consultation.

The per-employee annual absenteeism expense would also reduce since 33% say speedier access to a GP would reduce the number of days they took off sick.

Productivity

Let’s refer to the 30% of people who avoid taking time off work to see a GP when ill. Working whilst sick is called presenteeism, and it’s a productivity killer. When we’re not 100% in our physical or mental health, we don’t give our best, and with research suggesting that presenteeism costs £605 per employee annually – more than absenteeism – the case for making GPs more accessible sells itself.

Talent retention & acquisition

Our research found that...

• 74% of employees state that the benefits package being offered by a potential employer forms an integral part of their decision-making process.

• 75% said the right support makes them feel more loyal towards their employer.

Offering our Online GP service as part of your benefits package will increase your employee value proposition and help you attract and retain the best people to your growing business. 

More inclusive & affordable than Private Medical Insurance

In addition to the measurable benefits listed above, our clients love the inclusivity of Online GP. At a fraction of the cost of Private Medical Insurance, it’s an affordable healthcare benefit that businesses can offer their entire workforce, regardless of position.

Pluxee UK & Online GP... putting your employees' health first

It’s never been more critical to embed cost-effective, sustainable, and impactful employee benefits into your business and protect the physical health of your people.

Arrange a call with one of our employee wellbeing and engagement experts to discover how we can empower your people and boost your business with Online GP.

*Statistics updated October 2023