Page 14 - WMPF Federation DEC 2019-flip

Care on Demand

New to the West Midlands Police Care on Demand allows all our Federation members paying into

Federation Group Insurance Scheme the Group Insurance, and eligible dependents to arrange an
appointment 24/7 with a GMC licensed GP, whether in the UK or
from 1 October 2019. whilst on holiday.
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For any non-emergency case, whether physical or mental, you
We are blessed to have access, in the UK, to the NHS. A can discuss your health concerns with a GP, via phone or video
service free from cradle to grave, at the point of delivery, it is consultation. Calls can normally be arranged within 2 hours of
the envy of the world. your request. And unlike a GP visit, there is no time limit on the
GP’s are the gate-keepers. Historically, we tend to think of the consultation (video consults up to 30mins) and you can ask more
friendly local family doctor. He or she would be familiar with every than one question.
member of the family and each member’s health. Appointments Furthermore, the Care on Demand GP can arrange for a private
would be easy, they might even pop in from time to time ‘doing referral to be sent to you or a private prescription** to be sent to a
the rounds’, and there would be no time constraints. pharmacy of your choice if you are in the UK.

Sadly, this now sounds like a misty-eyed fantasy. It’s a service that is not designed to replace your own GP but to
Huge financial pressures, an ageing population, increase in work in conjunction, entirely in line with the Secretary of Health’s
obesity (resulting in diabetes, hypertension etc.), mental health strategy of introducing digital solutions to the NHS. So far those
issues and so on has put an impossible financial and resource who have used the service have been thrilled with it, and a recent
burden on an already stretched NHS. This is evident in waiting survey revealed a 93% recommendation rate with 89% satisfied
times not just for in-patient treatment but also GP appointments or very satisfied. A WWPF officer who has used the service since
with an average waiting time up to 13 days . inception on the 1 October 2019 stated:
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1
Little wonder that the NHS has previously reported that between “Very useful to have. Great that you offer out of hours, I was
10% and 30% of cases turning up in A&E were ones that were able to speak to someone in the middle of the night, I called
regularly seen by GPs . at 1am and I was able to speak to the doctor not long after.”
2
Fortunately, there is a solution.
Contact the Federation office for
details or visit our website:

1 www.pulsetoday.co.uk www.polfed.org/westmids
2 fullfact.org/health
** Within safe online prescribing guidelines
West Midlands Police Federation is an Appointed Representative of Arthur J. Gallagher Insurance Brokers Limited. George Burrows In association with
is a trading name of Arthur J. Gallagher Insurance Brokers Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct
Authority. Registered Office: Spectrum Building, 7th Floor, 55 Blythswood Street, Glasgow, G2 7AT. Registered in Scotland.
Company Number: SC108909. www.ajg.com/uk. GP on Demand is provided by Teladoc Health, Inc. Is a telemedicine company
that uses telephone and video-conferencing technology to provide on-demand remote medical care via mobile devices, the internet,
video and phone. www.teladoc.com. FP886-2019, Exp: 20.08.20 | ARTUK-418407181
14 federation December 2019/January 2020 www.polfed.org/westmids