Ask a doctor online with Doctor@Hand

Whatever your reasons for making an appointment with your GP it can be a stressful process especially when you’re feeling unwell, then heightened by potentially long waiting times.

Therefore it comes as no surprise that more than half of adults in the UK are turning to the internet to self-diagnose rather than booking an appointment with a doctor. So could online consultations encourage us to seek medical advice from a professional rather than resorting to taking our health into our own hands?  

Health-on-Line customer Lorna, tells us about her experience of using our online GP consultation service, Doctor@Hand:

“Being ill at the weekend is never fun; your options are to either:

a) Sit in a busy ‘out of hours’ waiting room if your ailment is considered urgent enough.

Or

b) To endure the weekend and end up Googling your symptoms and possibly run the risk of self-diagnosing incorrectly.

“I then remembered that I had access to Doctor@Hand with my health insurance policy through Health-on-Line; I quickly grabbed my iPad to register and log onto my Doctor Care Anywhere account.

"Soon enough I had an appointment booked for an hour and a half later!

Quick and easy process

"The process of booking my online GP appointment was overall quick and easy; all I had to do was select the doctor I wanted to see (I specifically liked that Doctor@Hand gives you the option to choose the gender of your doctor), write a sentence as to why I needed my appointment and then select a time which was convenient for me.

“When my appointment was about to start, I received an email and a text message to remind me which is great when you’re a busy person. I logged in, joined the consultation screen and spoke to the Doctor who was kind, friendly and made me feel at ease. I had a long chat with the doctor about my symptoms and it was nice not to be rushed.

Prescriptions made convenient 

“As a result of my online consultation I was prescribed medication, which could be posted to me or I could collect it from my local pharmacy. With it being a weekend I decided to choose the option to collect from my local pharmacy as this would have been more convenient. I also have peace of mind that if I were on holiday I could easily access Doctor Care Anywhere and receive my prescription whilst abroad.”

“An hour later I was able to view my patient record and the notes that my Doctor had written. I was also able to replay my appointment which was handy as we had discussed quite a lot.

"I was really impressed with how easy it was to make an appointment and it’s so reassuring to know that if I ever need to speak to a Doctor, even if I’m on holiday I can book a consultation and be speaking with a Doctor in a matter of hours.” 

Find out more

If you would like to find out more Doctor@Hand then visit our website. Doctor@Hand is available for all Health for You customers, with Private GP Option added to their policy. See a doctor online from your device, 24 hours a day, by simply logging in and booking an appointment that suits you – whether you're at home, work or abroad.

Get a quote now, if you’re a new customer. Or contact our customer service team, if you’re an existing customer.