Health warning

Everyone agrees something dramatic has to be done to help the NHS. It is crumbling and the canary in the mine is general practice. I work as a psychiatrist but my GP colleagues are almost all frazzled, overworked and frustrated at not being able to give the care they want to their patients. They’re quitting in their droves. So it makes sense that politicians, desperate for a quick and easy answer to an overwhelming and complex problem, have leapt on technology as a solution. And, in particular, on  the idea of an app that offers a GP consultation via your mobile phone.

In theory, it sounds great: the patient can dial up, speak to and (via phone camera) see a doctor, who could be anywhere. The poster boy is an app called GP at Hand, run by British start-up Babylon. The big question, of course, is how effective such consultations can be, given that the doctor is unable to take your blood pressure or stick anything down your throat. I have been able to test this service for myself — and what I have experienced left me worried.

The first time was when I suddenly developed lower back pain. I have private health cover through my partner’s job and with this comes access to Babylon’s private version of the app, identical to its GP at Hand one. I got through to a GP who admitted that she didn’t know what the problem could be. As she was unable to do a urine test, she suggested I took antibiotics — just in case. The prescription was emailed over. I felt uneasy. I didn’t like the idea of taking something without there being a clear reason why, especially not antibiotics. I apologetically phoned up my regular NHS GP surgery and within an hour I was sitting in front of a doctor, who tested my urine.