Boots are set to start offering GP style health appointments and consultations as part of their services that will start at £15.
The Mirror reports the pharmacy has announced they will start providing face to face consultations for minor ailments this Winter to help deal with high demand for GP services.
Pharmacists who will be trained across all the pharmacies 2,336 stores will be able to start diagnosing conditions and writing up any prescriptions for patients.
The appointments will start at £15, which also includes the cost of prescriptions. As well as a face to face consultation with a consultant, Boots will also offer a pay as you go online doctors service, which is an alternative to the NHS service which is free.
The new service is set to take the pressure of the NHS and allow patients to get an appointment quicker than they would with their GP.
Boots chief executive Seb James told The Sun: “The NHS is under a lot of pressure with the pandemic, and that will only get worse when the winter wave hits."
“Rather than wait two weeks to see a GP, people can get immediate diagnosis, treatment and medication for the price of a Nando’s.”
The news of the new venture comes as less patients are being able to access face to face appointments with their GP.
The NHS have revealed that fewer face to face appointments are taking place compared to before the pandemic, with just 58% of patients seeing their GP in person during August and 54% in January.
Mr James has also said that the new service will begin to utilize the current resources the pharmacy already has, such as highly trained pharmacists.
He also revealed that the new private style service will be similar to the roll-out of the Coronavirus testing role the pharmacy undertook during the pandemic, which came about after a conversation with the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.
“I assured him we would not seek to make a profit out of Covid," Mr James continued.
"This policy enabled us to move quickly and help the nation. Hopefully, this new venture will continue that trend.”
With not enough GP's to meet demands and less face to face appointments happening across the country, online consultations look to remain a central part of of the countries health care system post-Covid.
Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, has said at a Conservative Press Conference: "There’s a role for remote consultations when it comes to health care."
Boots will not be the first to offer private GP appointments, as Bupa currently offer the same service for £70 for 15 minutes, plus any subscriptions, compared to the £15 offered from the Boots pharmacy.
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