Updated 31 May 2021
Background
AlldayDr Group Limited is the provider of AlldayDr, an online video GP consulting service.
We inspected AlldayDr Group at their offices based in Clive House, Clive Street, Bolton BL1 1ET where the service has moved to since the previous inspection when they were based at Church Street, Blackrod, Bolton. Information and technology, management and administration staff are based in Clive House.
Patients are not treated on the premises but via online consultations which are undertaken remotely from various suitably private locations. The provider is registered with the General Medical Council (GMC) and also works within the NHS. The service does not treat anyone under the age of 18 years.
The service aims to provide an affordable and responsive alternative to traditional NHS services.
Doctors are GMC regulated and deliver services from an online platform and mobile app. A number of services that were offered when we last inspected have been removed. Services now offered include:
- Online face to face video consultations with GMC registered UK GP’s.
- Delivery and dispatch of NHS prescriptions through partner pharmacies.
Currently, patients are asked to set up a profile and identity checks are undertaken. Once their identity has been verified, patients are able to book a ten-minute consultation (or longer if selected) with a GP between the hours of 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday. This is a reduction since the previous inspection when consulting hours were 8am until 10pm seven days a week.
The smartphone app allows users to have video consultations with a GP. Currently there is only one consulting GP who will discuss with the patient the condition or issue raised. Following the consultation, if appropriate, a private prescription or a referral letter to another service can be provided.
Prescriptions are delivered by secure methods of transport to the patient’s choice of location. This can be their home or place of work. Alternatively, they can collect the prescription from a designated collection point or a pharmacy of their choice.
Patients can subscribe to the online service either via a monthly subscription package or pay per consultation. Patients can give feedback about the service via the app.
Since the previous inspection there has been a complete change of staff working in the service. Two new clinical registered managers have been employed and are currently going through the appropriate registration processes. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are “registered persons”. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. A business operations manager is also now in place.
The provider aims to upscale the service to a Business to Business (B2B) model. This is a form of transaction that is conducted between companies rather than between a company and individual customers. Once a contract has been secured, the provider will employ more GPs to provide the service.
The provider had obtained approval from the NHS to obtain IM1 pairing accreditation. IM1 pairing is the process that allows suppliers to integrate their system with any principal clinical system through an interface mechanism. At the last inspection this was a work in progress. At this inspection we saw certification and accreditation that supported the stringent governance levels that have to be applied to ensure data security before a pairing such as this can be approved. The integration which is due to go live in July will provide consulting GPs with access to the NHS Spine (summary care record) where they can view a patient’s current medicines and medical conditions.