Local residents are being given the opportunity to sign up for a new subscription-based service at the Bath Clinic private hospital in Combe Down.
The Bath Clinic | Photo courtesy of Circle Health Group
For a monthly fee, people will have access to unlimited consultant and GP appointments, tests, checks and scans.
The subscription model will allow patients to access the hospital’s services within 48 hours.
Traditionally, patients either opt for private medical cover or pay for their own treatment.
But the new model, pioneered by consultants like Jonathan McFarlane alongside staff at Bath Clinic, offers a third way through a monthly subscription.
Jonathan McFarlane, Consultant Urologist and Clinical Chair said: “From £19.99 a month patients will be able to get fast access to doctors, tests and scans.
“We have brought together almost every part of the treatment process into one easy to use app.”
A fellow consultant working alongside Mr McFarlane explained what is included.
He said: “Private GP services have seen a significant increase in usage over the last 18 months. However, there is no service currently available that also gives access to specialist consultants and follow-up diagnostic tests and scans that a patient often needs to confirm a diagnosis or inform a treatment plan.”
Should a user discover that surgery is the best option for them, membership of MyWay also offers discounts to hospital treatment and physiotherapy.
Commenting on the options available, Mr McFarlane said: “Think of the MyWay club like an insurance policy you have complete control over.
“For a small fee each month, you are guaranteed to get access to specialist care.
“We know that patients are becoming increasingly worried about waiting. With MyWay you don’t have to worry because whatever you need is ready and waiting to be accessed.”
Peter James, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, said: “The longer a patient waits the greater the treatment challenge becomes. Take a joint replacement for example, the lack of exercise leads to a reduction in stamina and ultimately a general decline in the patient’s health.
“By the time the patient is seen by the surgeon the surgical intervention needed is far more substantial and lengthens not only the recovery time but the length of time the patient is out of the workforce. It doesn’t have to be this way.”
As an introductory offer, Circle Health Group, the hospital’s owner, has said that anyone who signs up to MyWay before 31st August will be eligible for a full membership refund if they are unhappy with the service after three months.
Paolo Pieri, Circle Health Group CEO, said: “For little more than the monthly cost of Netflix or Prime, our revolutionary health subscription service promises the peace of mind that you can see a specialist or get a scan rapidly if the need arises.
“With long-term illness rates at record highs – for every 13 workers one person is long-term sick – the UK has a massive ‘sick-force’ problem, and we desperately need new healthcare solutions to tackle this productivity problem and turn round the economy.
“Subscription services have transformed many other parts of our lives, so one that guarantees speed, control and consumer power in the area that matters most to all of us – our health – is a no-brainer.”
