eConsult Health acquires Q doctor, bringing digital triage, video and SMS together in a single platform for GPs and hospitals   

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM –  25 May 2021 – eConsult Health, the UK’s leading digital triage provider, today announced it has acquired video consultation & SMS platform Q doctor. The combination of online triage, video, telephony and SMS in one, joined-up solution for GP surgeries and hospitals, is a first in the digital health market and represents a significant milestone in this fast-growing sector. 

The acquisition of Q doctor is the latest step in eConsult’s growth story, having secured a £7M investment from Gresham House Ventures and Calculus Capital in October 2020 to fuel expansion into the secondary care market. 

eConsult allows patients to submit their symptoms or requests to their own GP electronically and offers round-the-clock NHS self-help information, signposting to services, and a symptom checker. eConsult is trusted by 3,330 GP surgeries and has been used to complete over 13M online consultations. Its eTriage platform, purpose-built for urgent and emergency care, is also growing in popularity and is currently in use at nine hospitals including Worthing & St Richards in Western Sussex. 

Q doctor has designed and built a market leading platform to bring doctors and patients together using video and SMS, as well as a virtual desktop application for health practitioners to increase efficiency. The first video platform to gain NHS approval in 2018, Q doctor has built a strong reputation in the primary healthcare market, supplying nearly 500 GP surgeries. It has also gained a foothold in both urgent and emergency care and out-patients at sites across the UK, including the STP wide contract in Lincolnshire. 

Combined, GP practices and hospitals can now access a seamless digital solution to improve the patient experience and make their lives easier. Overworked GPs can now access tools they need to effectively manage patient requests, interactions and work more efficiently with the admin side of care.  

eConsult’s digital triage prioritises patient requests based on their symptoms and Q doctor’s functionality enables safe, secure remote communications between patient and GP. Access is extended to people who struggle to visit the surgery during the working week while ensuring that in-person appointments are available for those who need them most. 

Dr Murray Ellender, CEO of eConsult comments: 

“We’re delighted to welcome Chris and the Q doctor team into the eConsult family. By extending our offer to include video and SMS we are continuing to deliver on our mission to support the UK’s hard-working GPs who are under great pressure at the same time as improving access for patients across the country.” 

The synergies between eConsult and Q doctor extend beyond technology. Both companies are British and were founded by NHS doctors who are deeply committed to the NHS and the principle of high-quality, safe and effective care. Both are underpinned by a depth in clinical expertise and governance. 

Q doctor’s founder and CEO Dr Chris Whittle has been appointed to its executive leadership team and his team will officially become part of  eConsult, which is based in Canary Wharf, London.  

Dr Chris Whittle comments: 

“After nearly two years of successfully partnering with eConsult to deliver our combined service to GP surgeries across the country, this decision was a natural and exciting one – as it gives our customers a much stronger, combined offering. Murray and the team share our core values and our determination to transform digital healthcare.” 

eConsult Health was advised by financial services firm Anthem Corporate Finance and law firm Ashfords. 

-ends-

About eConsult Health 

eConsult Health Limited provides the UK’s leading digital triage system in the NHS covering both primary and secondary care including: 

·        eConsult – An award-winning online consultation platform for primary care  

·        eTriage – A platform for NHS Emergency Departments and Urgent Treatment Centres designed to automatically check-in and prioritise patients upon arrival 

·        eSpecialist – A newly developed solution for outpatient care to ensure clinicians have the right information to be able to diagnose, manage and treat patients at the earliest point 

All of eConsult Health’s platforms are developed by NHS clinicians and overseen by the company’s unique Clinical Governance Board to enable safe and effective triage and ensure patients receive the right healthcare at the right time by the right clinician. 

About Q doctor 

Dr Chris Whittle is an NHS doctor by background and training (anaesthetics) who joined an NHS England Clinical Entrepreneur Programme in 2016 and went on to found Q doctor, a leading distributed video consultation service provider to the NHS. Q doctor has achieved a series of national firsts; the first video consultation platform approved by NHS Digital for use in 111, the first delivering specialist outpatient appointments over video, and the first commissioned countywide across all NHS services ().