A hospital in Kingston has opened a new private GP service offering fast access to specialist care and appointments six days a week.

The independent New Victoria Hospital on Coombe Hill launched its GP service for adults and children earlier this month.

The service offers face-to-face or virtual consultations on a range of medical issues, plus prescriptions, blood tests, vaccines, and referral letters and fit notes.

Appointments can be booked online and prices start at £95 for a 20-minute consultation.

Dr Lowri Bailey, a GP with the new service, said: "We are delighted to offer our community direct access to a Private GP service and the full range of investigations and specialist knowledge provided by the New Victoria Hospital.

"We appreciate the current challenges faced accessing healthcare and are pleased to provide the option of face-to-face or virtual appointments 6 days a week via an easy booking system.

"On a personal note, it is incredibly satisfying and rewarding to be able to offer an efficient and stream-lined service to everyone attending our GP appointments."

More information on the service including how to book is available on the hospital's website here: https://www.newvictoria.co.uk/services/gp-services/.

The move comes as the pandemic continues to put huge pressure on the NHS, with many GP services feeling the strain.

Independent consumer group Healthwatch called last month for NHS England to review access to GP services following the organisation's L] https://www.healthwatch.co.uk/report/2021-03-22/gp-access-during-covid-19 [L+] research [.L] into patient experiences of GP care.

The Healthwatch research concluded that between 2019 and 2020 there were problems with communication, accessing appointments, the quality of remote consultations and access to regular treatment medication.

But BMA GP committee chair Dr Richard Vautrey told GP Online he felt the criticisms were unfair.

He said it did not reflect the reality of what had been achieved during the pandemic, considering how practices were struggling already before it hit.

He said: "Waiting times throughout the NHS have been a struggle during the pandemic.

"This is indicative of a much wider issue that has plagued the entire health service for decades, and something that is responsible for the majority of the points raised in this report – a chronic lack of resources and funding.

"This must be considered when we assess the performance of general practice throughout the pandemic.

"In fact, considering teams have had to work with outdated IT systems, too few staff, and decades of underfunding, it's testament to our staff how much they've done during this crisis."

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