1 Who did you book this service for: family member (adult/ child), yourself, colleague?
For myself
2 Would you use the service again in the future?
Yes, I can see circumstances where I would use it. It can be hard to see a doctor quickly here and if I was really anxious about something for me or the children - obviously not life-threatening things - then I would be reassured to know this was possible. If one was going away the next day and needed an assessment or medication, it would be a godsend, for example.
3 Who would you book the service for in the future?
Myself or the children or my elderly mother., who finds it very hard to get to GP. She has to be taken by someone and we are not always available.
4 How did you book?
Android app
5 Ease of use of app?
App was fairly easy but it subsequently became clear that not all information was there - for example, when I booked I assumed that the doctor had confirmed, but I was not in fact confirmed, as I later found out. I did have some problems getting it to recognise my postcode, but found out that this was likely wifi problems, which were resolved. I was unclear whether I needn't to exit to refresh the request. Little things like that were irksome.
6 Price - do you feel the price is fair for the service you received - weekday £120, weekend £150, bank holiday £200
The price is steep and very few could afford the luxury of this. As a service, say compared to a plumber or dogwalker, I suppose it is about right, given the skill and training of the servicegiver and the fact that they come to wherever you are. I wonder about the economics - what the financial split is for this Uber of Doctors.
7 Speed - how fast did your doctor arrive?
The doctor was scheduled to come in 564 minutes. I was unable to wait that long and had to cancel, regretfully. I only really had today to make this work and I began trying to book a doctor early in the day. My quotes were always things like 600 minutes, arrival times of 23.50. Most of the time, I got a note stating that there was a lot of requests on the system and I should phone a number to book a doctor, as I would be unable to book via the app. I was loathe to do that, as I worried that my minor ailment would be taking away a doctor from someone who needed her or him urgently. I kept trying for several hours to see if a shorter appointment would come. I got one for 94 minutes hence, so I signed up and gave credit card details and booked it. Then I kept an eye on it, but it kept extending to 100 minutes and kept going up. I then realised that I had not had the opportunity to give the code number and realised I would be charged £120 for it. I sent an email to the contact address but got no reply. I phoned and spoke to an employee. She advised me to cancel the appointment and rebook and then I could enter the code. It was at that point I found out that the doctor had not confirmed, so the timing I had been given was probably illusory. She was friendly but it was unclear to me how the code option would appear if it did not appear the last time I booked. I did cancel, which was simple. I tried to rebook but it was appointments around midnight again and I simply could not do that because of having to go to bed early tonight to go away tomorrow. I gave up trying to see a doctor at that point.
I was surprised about the length of time I would need to wait to get an appointment and sceptical that a doctor would actually come at midnight. I am in very central London and assumed there would be a lot of doctors roaming and hoping to pick up extra cash. I am right next to a massive hospital. The students are away, so would have thought there would be slack. But no. I checked out my mother's postcode in the suburbs and could have got a doctor to her within 3 hours. I suppose holiday time increased the pressure and takes out the pool of doctors - unless it is all these MNers getting the freebie.
I am sorry that I did not complete all aspects of the trial, but hope that my experience of booking and cancelling still provides useful feedback on this system.
8 Quality of Service - are you happy with the service received
I am sorry I did not get to see a doctor, though my ailment is very mild and I was only doing it for confirmation purposes (a dermatological complaint that is chronic). The aspects of the service that I used were satisfying.
9 Would you recommend the service to a friend?
I would recommend it to any friend who is wealthy and time-poor - though t is not as perfect as I thought. I did imagine a doctor within an hour and 30 mins in Central London. Maybe on a regular day this might be the case. I hate hanging on the telephone trying to book appointments at the GPs. I also hate having to schedule appointments for the children in school time - so on those grounds I think it is valuable - but it comes at some considerable cost. I might recommend it to some junior doctors I know who are struggling financially - expect they know about it and they may not be fans, as they are strong supporters of NHS! I honestly think that - unhappily - this is the future of healthcare in this country (also the current reality of course, given private medicine) - instant access to the brilliantly trained members for the wealthy, long waits - maybe endless ones - for those who do not pay in this way.