Bedfordshire doctors develop ‘Netflix style’ health subscription

For the cost of a coffee subscription or access to your favourite streaming service, doctors working at The Manor Hospital have developed a new subscription-based health service that anyone can sign up to for a fee and access unlimited consultant and GP appointments, tests, checks and scans.

In a move that will shake up the traditional private medical insurance model that has dominated private healthcare for the last 80 years, patients will be able to access the Bedfordshire 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 Circle consultants like Mr Paul Manning alongside staff at The Manor Hospital offers a third way through an affordable monthly subscription.

Mr Paul Manning, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon explained, ‘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 Manning explained what is included in the revolutionary offering.

‘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 at The Manor Hospital.

Commenting on the options available to users, Mr Paul Manning 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.’

The MyWay service was developed in response to growing demand for high-quality occupational health services that help get people back to work and prevent needless worry/time off work. Economic uncertainty means that businesses cannot afford to lose staff to illnesses that could easily be managed or treated using MyWay.

The latest ONS stats show that economic inactivity due to long-term sickness has surged to a record-breaking 2.5 million people, up by half a million since the pandemic (2019). Coupled with 7.42 million people currently waiting for treatment across the UK. A perfect storm has broken with potentially disastrous consequences for workers eager to get back to work.

‘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’, Mr Peter James, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon explained.

He added that, ‘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.’

The low-cost monthly fee is designed to provide accessible healthcare as the cost-of-living rises. Like any subscription service, the sign-up process takes less than 60 seconds and within 30 days the person can access the whole package of services available.

As an introductory offer, Circle Health Group, the hospital’s owner, has announced 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.’