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‘Uber-style’ private GP company crowdfunds to boost recruitment

A private GP company is crowdfunding to recruit more GPs in a bid to offer ‘Uber-style’ appointments across the country by 2018.

Doctaly, which matches NHS GPs with fee-paying patients, is aiming to raise £500,000 in four weeks to recruit more GPs, to build a mobile app and to spend on marketing.

A spokesperson for Doctaly told Pulse that the service is looking to recruit ‘as many doctors as possible’ from across the UK but only from practices with a CQC rating of good or outstanding.

GPs are being enticed to join Doctaly with added benefits when they invest in the campaign.

For example, if a GP donates £150 or more and signs up to participate in Doctaly, they will get to keep all appointment revenue for the first six months as opposed to facing the 20% cut taken by Doctaly on appointment fees that range from £40 to £70.

Meanwhile, GPs who invest £1,200 or more and sign up to participate in the service, will get an Alive Cor ECG device, which the NHS already offers to secondary care consultants as part of the innovation and technology tariff.

Doctaly’s co-founder Ben Teichman told Pulse that the incentives are ‘merely a bonus’.

He said: ‘We’re hoping that Doctaly attracts the part-time work force of 20,000 GPs with its flexible and lucrative solution. 

‘We also work with many full time GPs, who tend to add a Doctaly appointment before or after their NHS clinics and possibly at lunch time if they have time.’

He added: ‘The most important point is that NHS provision must not be impacted by additional private work.’

Pulse reported last year that Doctaly was preparing to roll out across England after two pilots in London, with local GPs saying the service encourages ‘queue jumping’.