GP Subscription

The Context

Working at Kry / Livi, an online GP service. The business operated across Europe, but the model in the UK consisted of partnering with the NHS and insurance providers. The UK market wanted to look at the feasibility of a direct-to-consumer GP subscription service. This would also be operationally similar to an employee provided subscription service, and could serve as a pilot.

The Research Questions

• Why do patients in the UK choose to pay for healthcare or insurance when they can get it for free on the NHS?
• Are there specific services or models that people value or are looking for?
  • Would patients be happy with a GP only subscription?

The Method

Qualitative exploratory interviews with patients about their context and reasons for choosing private healthcare. Looking at current solutions, workarounds, and unmet needs.

The participants

UK residents that have paid out of pocket for healthcare or health insurance in the past six months. These reflected each of our three existing patient personas.

The Findings

The themes that came up across persona groups included access, speed, quality, and convenience. Different groups valued each of these differently, though all found access to be the biggest challenges, feeling like they can’t get referrals for the care they required through the NHS. However, none mentioned access as a difficulty for primary care - what we were offering with a GP subscription service - which were described as the most accessible service on the NHS.

The Result

The business development team looked into offering access to some secondary care services as part of the subscription – physio and mental health.
The GP-only subscription service was further investigated with employers.