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Hammersmith MP Andy Slaughter is calling for a government inquiry into GP at Hand, a
Photo of Andrew SlaughterAndrew Slaughter Labour, Hammersmith
As the Secretary of State knows, because he is a member, the Babylon Health GP at Hand digital service is based in Hammersmith and Fulham. By the end of this year, it will have run up a deficit of about £35 million for my clinical commissioning group. Given that the clinical commissioning group is cutting GP hours and closing an urgent care centre overnight because it is so short of funds, when are we going to be reimbursed for that £35 million?
GP at Hand, which is powered by Babylon Health, has its primary practice in Lillie Road on the border of Hammersmith and Fulham, and three other clinics including an adjacent one in munster road.
Andy Slaughter has written to Dr Sarah Wollaston, chair of the committee, about the app which allows people to carry out video-consultations with their GP through their smartphones, as well as triaging their symptoms.
In his letter to Wollaston, which he posted on Twitter, Slaughter says he has a number of “serious concerns” about the app which was launched on the NHS in 2017.
This includes the issue of GP at Hand distorting GP funding, as everyone who signs up for the service is automatically registered to the practice in west London and de-registered from their original GP.
He also suggests that Hammmersmith and Fulham CCG was facing potential additional costs of more than £20million in order to continue funding Babylon’s GP at Hand practice, which is double figures reported in March 2018.
Slaughter said: “The practice has seen its patient list grow enormously to around 48,000 in the space of only a few years, making it one of the ten largest GP practices in the UK.
“This has created an accumulated funding deficit of at least £26million for the period 2018-2020, which is currently being borne by H&F CCG [Hammersmith and Fulham Clinical Commissioning Group], but this could grow markedly if the service expands outside of London.”
In his letter, Slaughter also raises concerns about the software behind GP at Hand.
He added: “Doubts and concerns are being expressed by practitioners as to whether the software and operating model of GP at Hand is robust enough to deal with the whole range of conditions which it purports to be able to diagnose and treat,”
Other concerns included the public support shown from the secretary of state for health and social care, Matt Hancock, and doubts surrounding the “software and operation model”.
In a statement, Babylon said: “Babylon welcomes scrutiny from any governing group or regulator, as we are proud to demonstrate how we can use our technology to work with the NHS and help it cope with the rising demands and costs that are impacting patient care.
“There are a few points raised in the letter that we want to address. Babylon GP at Hand service does not exclude anyone – it is designed to provide high-quality NHS primary medical services for people of all ages, whether in good health or not.
“We have a dedicated complex care team, which means we can offer the right level of care right across the spectrum, encompassing both physical and mental health care.”
It’s full statement can be seen below.
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