Doc on demand service ZoomDoc extends offering to mental health care

Doctor on demand service ZoomDoc has announced it is extending its offering to cover mental health care.

Partnering up with mental health care app Dr. Julian, ZoomDoc Mental Health will allow patients to receive care directly via secure video, audio or mobile messaging with verified mental healthcare professionals.

The partnership combines ZoomDoc’s paid-for service, which allows users to book an NHS-registered GP to come to their home, with Dr. Julian’s team of 80 therapists, who deliver online mental health appointments via secure video or instant messaging.

Both services will be available to businesses using ZoomDoc to provide corporate benefits, as well as on an individual consumer basis for those who choose to download the ZoomDoc app.

The mental health services provided by Dr Julian will remain strictly confidential, allowing neither employers nor ZoomDoc to access any patient records.

ZoomDoc CEO, Kenny Livingstone, said: “Mental health is a serious and increasing problem in the UK.

“Sufferers should be able to get treatment when they need it, and not need to wait for therapists to become available.

“Waiting times for those in need can take months, and our ZoomDoc Mental Health service addresses many of the concerns patients have in accessing the best support for their particular issue by eliminating the need to wait for treatment.  We hope that this can reduce the pressure and stress in getting access to the right care at the right time.”

The new service aims to cut down on the waiting time for mental health care by enabling same-day consultations, using only qualified psychotherapists for patient treatment.

Dr. Julian Nesbit, founder of Dr. Julian, added that the new service would “make mental health care more easily accessible to more people”.

In a separate story, ZoomDoc launched a fundraising campaign in September 2017 to try to raise £500,000 to fund its expansion, a target which the company has since reached.