LIVI, the UK division of European digital healthcare provider KRY, has announced a collaboration with Our Health Partnership Northampton General Practice Alliance, Alliance for Better Care, as well as other partners across the South East.

The partnership aims to “bring access to app-based video GP consultations for over 1.85 million NHS patients”, enabling local GPs to also work on the platform, helping to treat patients in their area, digitally.

The company is already operating in North-West Surrey, with the service available to over 360,000 patients. The service will now be extended to Birmingham, Shropshire, Northamptonshire, and parts of the South-East, as well as extending services to more practices in Surrey, meaning that LIVI will now offer services to 1.85 million patients.

The partnerships come at a time of ‘significant pressure’ for the UK’s Primary Care Networks, with the NHS struggling to recruit and retain doctors, particularly in crucial areas such as paediatrics.

Video consultations have been cited as a way to take the strain off GPs, as well as offering them greater flexibility, support and more meaningful work, since they can focus their time in the surgery on the patients who need it most.

Luke Buhl-Nielsen, UK country manager of LIVI, said that the company’s mission is to improve access to primary care for every patient” and “do so in a way that significantly relieves pressure on GP surgeries.”

He continued, “Our first partnership in North-West Surrey highlighted within the first six months the positive impact that LIVI can have - offering GPs greater workplace flexibility, decreasing attendance at A+E or Urgent Care Centres, while delivering excellent care for every patient. We’re excited to see the future impact of our new partnerships for both patients and care providers.”

NHS England’s recently published GP Patient Survey showed a sharp decline in the number of patients in North West Surrey who said they would have attended A&E as an alternative to seeing a GP, revealing a 28% drop in the number of patients reporting that they went directly to A&E after being unable to get a suitable GP appointment in the year since August 2018.