Is your workforce struggling with the flu?

Reduce absences with a little help from OnDemand GP Services

Over 1 million in-surgery GP consultations occur every day in England and Wales* but with the average wait to see a doctor being 2 weeks, it can have a devastating impact on businesses, whatever their size, when its workforce is hit with the winter flu. What’s more, with over a million people a week unable to get a GP appointment, the frustration for all, and the number of people feeling rotten, is just, well…rotten.

However, there are options to prevent your staff and your business from running on empty.  OnDemand GP is a complete clinical solution that combines the expertise of fully qualified GPs with the latest modern technology, all accessed via your employee benefits app, Hapi.

If you want to understand how OnDemand GP compares to traditional doctors’ surgery, read on.

If getting an appointment with your GP fills you (and your employees) with dread – hanging on the phone, speaking with a receptionist, waiting for a callback - then the frustration of an inevitable 2-week wait can put people off from bothering entirely. With an OnDemand GP service, employees have access to a GP 24/7 and what’s more, the employee doesn't have to get out of bed to get to the surgery, you’ll get a notification on your mobile when the doctor is ready!

In fact, from the time of your enquiry to the GP consultation, is under 10 mins so no more hanging about in a waiting room with other coughing and sneezing people either. This is even more beneficial when you think of a person coming off a shift at 10 pm at night with not even the slightest inclination or way to get hold of help the traditional route, unless they go to a walk-in centre.

So OnDemand GP, sounds good, right? It’s great!  And not just for the employee but it’s also great for the employer. As research** indicates, employees waste six days of annual leave a year to undertake life admin such as waiting for packages, cleaning and doctor’s appointments. So everyone will be happy that it’s not coming out of much-needed annual leave.

Providing employees with instant access to medical advice and health care can greatly reduce both absenteeism caused by the traditional GP appointment route but how nice for people to feel better, sooner?

Read our wellbeing reports for further tools and resources to help you and your team through flu season.

*NHS Information Centre and Department of Health

**The Independent