A sustainability and transformation partnership (STP) in London has selected DoctorLink to provide an online triage platform for patients.
The contract with the South West London Health and Care Partnership means up to 1.6 million patients across 242 surgeries will have access to a digital symptom checker and medical advice based specifically upon their responses.
They will also be able to book appointments through an online system.
The platform has been designed to ease burden on frontline NHS services and to help patients gain fast access to care.
It is expected to be implemented over the next 12 months.
Sami Nur, primary care transformation lead for the STP said: “Adopting DoctorLink will transform how patients access their GP practice, especially for same-day and urgent appointments; directing them to the most appropriate service for their health needs.
“From a practice point of view, we anticipate this process will reduce the pressure on GPs while also enhancing connections between primary, urgent care and community care providers.”
Currently DoctorLink is contracted across 400 GP practices in England, representing a catchment of 3.2 million patients.
Their latest selection followed a competitive tender process involving 12 different suppliers on the Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) framework.
The framework was introduced to support the implementation of online consultations by giving STPs and clinical commissioning groups access to a pool of pre-qualified suppliers that offer the most up-to-date solutions for clinical practice.
Andrew Gardner, DoctorLink’s CEO, added: “We are delighted that DoctorLink was selected from a list of 12 competing services on the Dynamic Purchasing System framework to advance the provision of patient care across South West London.
“This decision reflects DoctorLink’s ability to reduce levels of demand for those at the forefront of GP services, while still improving the primary care experience for patients.”