Doctorlink, the leading online triage provider to the NHS, has reported accelerated user growth during the first half of 2020.

The digital triage, video and phone consultation service has increased its active user base by 148% between January and June, as well as growing the total number of NHS GP surgeries using the platform by 278%.

As a result, Doctorlink is now available to over 12.5 million NHS patients through 1,500 GP surgeries.

Compared to the last six months of 2019, the number of unique online symptom assessments – known as ‘traversals’ – more than doubled. The digital triage provider also recorded a 587% increase in online repeat prescription requests.

Doctorlink was already in a period of accelerated user acquisition at the end of last year, reporting a 200% increase in active users in the fourth quarter. Following the appointment of tech veteran CEO Rupert Spiegelberg in September, the British healthtech company also increased its reach in GP surgeries by a third between Sept 2019 and June 2020.

In March 2020, the Doctorlink platform was selected by the NHS to provide both online triage and video consultations during COVID-19. It was the only supplier chosen to provide both services, in an accelerated Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) Framework bid open to all existing NHS suppliers.

Rupert Spiegelberg, CEO of Doctorlink comments: “While these figures show that COVID-19 created a significant shift towards patient acceptance of online triage solutions, they also demonstrate that large numbers of patients were adopting and benefitting from these tools in the months before the pandemic reached the UK.

“Following Matt Hancock’s recent announcement that the NHS should be working towards a digital-first model of patient care, we are anticipating a continuation of this growth. Looking ahead, we are also working to extend our reach to support public and private healthcare providers around the world.”

Doctorlink’s services work to re-route patients towards the most appropriate form of care, helping to reduce pressure on clinicians by giving back valuable consultation time, as well as giving 24/7 access to patients. By improving efficiencies both clinically and administratively, the triage provider can bring huge savings across both clinical hours and costs. Practices with a patient population of 10,000 - 30,000 saved GP and administrative time equivalent to between £100,000 - £270,000. On average, practices have seen 32% of cases diverted away from their GPs to a more appropriate form of care.