Boots launches new Online Doctor service

The Online Doctor service will provide advice and services related to skin conditions, sexual health, family support, weight loss support and diabetes testing, among other issues.

The service will also offer patients access to prescription-only medicine without having to visit a GP. Consultations online can take between five and ten minutes on average.

Customers will then learn the outcome of the consultation between two and 24 hours later, and clinicians will send a follow-up video with advice concerning the patient’s treatment. 

Users of the service can then collect prescriptions issued by the online doctor on the same day from pharmacists in Boots’ UK retail stores.

Payment for the service will work on a pay-as-you-go basis, with prices starting from £15 inclusive of prescription costs. 

The move towards an online offering is aimed at people who would usually consider private services for queries related to non-urgent health conditions. 

It also comes following an increased acceptance of remote services during the pandemic, with 54% of GP appointments conducted over the telephone or via video call in March 2021, according to the Royal College of General Practitioners.

Sales of healthcare products on boots.com also increased by 126% between March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2021.

The Online Doctor service will be available on boots.com’s Heath Hub. Following the addition of this online consultancy, Boots now offers almost 100 healthcare services on and offline.

Boots UK chief pharmacist Marc Donovan said: “People are increasingly looking online to access healthcare at a time and place that suits them – a trend that has accelerated during the pandemic.

“Our expanding range of private digital healthcare services is integral to the work of our pharmacists in stores, who can dispense the medicines prescribed via our Online Doctor service as well as provide expert healthcare advice in person.

“We see a future where patients interact with us digitally and in person in a unique blend that suits their personal preferences.”

He added: “We hope that by providing access to both NHS services and private healthcare on the high street or online, we can help to relieve pressure on our NHS.”