GP at Hand is given go ahead to expand to Birmingham

Babylon’s GP at Hand service has been given the green light to expand outside its west London base to Birmingham after a U turn by NHS England.

GP at Hand had previously been blocked from subcontracting its digital service from Hammersmith to the Midlands on clinical safety grounds, amid concerns about how patients would access screening services.1

However, Hammersmith and Fulham Clinical Commissioning Group, which holds GP at Hand’s NHS contract, was told by NHS England at a meeting on Tuesday 12 February that a solution had now been identified. NHS England would not give any further details as to how the concerns had been resolved. But it will now work with Hammersmith and Fulham CCG, Birmingham and Solihull CCG, national screening services, and GP at Hand to firm up the arrangements and a start date.

The decision is significant, as it paves the way for Babylon to expand its offering beyond Birmingham to other areas in which it is known to be interested, such as Manchester, …