Is there a Doctor in the House?

While most of us are grateful for the services the NHS provides, all too often we find our personal medical issues have to fit into the operating hours of the vast bureaucratic system. Was it really so long ago that a doctor would make a home visit if your child had a high fever or if Aunty Betty was having palpitations?

Nowadays we all simply hope not to fall ill on a Sunday or in the middle of the night. But the locally based Night Doctor Service may just offer the old-fashioned type of full-time medical care we wish for.

Britain's NHS medical service has long offered comprehensive care, but over recent years, increasing demand on local GP surgeries and cost-cutting system centralisation has meant family doctors' services have become less personal, more time-constrained and frequently restricted to 'office hours' only.

Unfortunately, the reality is that illnesses and accidents can often strike 'out of hours', at nighttime or at weekends, and when you least expect them. How we'd all love to have a local neighbourhood doctor we know, someone we could call up any time, day or night, especially if you have a young family at home or an elderly relative.

Luckily for us, here in the south Manchester and Cheshire area, the Night Doctor Service provides just that: a 24-hour on-call private medical service that's just a phone call away (and you get to speak to a real person, not just an electronic answering service giving you options to press 1, 2 or 3).

Patients are confident

“We offer peace of mind to our patients, when they most need it,” says Night Doctor Service founder Dr Bruce Jobling. “Our patients register with us alongside their usual NHS doctor, so that our 'extra' service fully complements the usual surgery hours care provided by their own GP. Our patients are confident knowing they can get personal medical assistance at any time from our service, and yet they can still benefit from the NHS whenever they choose.”
 
Dr Bruce Jobling qualified in Manchester nearly 20 years ago. In 2001 he took over a Private GP service in Didsbury and formed the Night Doctor Service with Dr Emma Leon and a small select team of experienced family doctors, all from the local area. Initially, they covered extra out-of-hours individual care, but growing demand and personal recommendation quickly led them to expand their remit to include a full menu of private GP services. These include same-day general medical appointments, full annual check-ups, vaccinations and flu jabs, travel health advice, and company medical care.

“It’s all about personal care with continuity; 24 hours a day, every day, without having to wait around for hours,” states Dr Jobling. “With regular coverage in the media, citing how overstretched the NHS is, the Night Doctor Service brings prompt, personal and unrushed medical care to patients when they want it.”

Peace of mind, at all times

He continues: “At Night Doctor the ethos is that our patients want a professional service with peace of mind, at all times. From immediate telephone advice from a GP, to organising an admission into hospital, any time, day or night – all this is provided by a small group of doctors they can get to know.”

Night Doctor already has a broad client base in the community: individuals, couples, families with young or older children, busy working professionals, celebrity and sports personalities, elderly community members. The service is aimed at all types of patients – anyone wishing for complete and accessible healthcare. It certainly sounds better than “well, the doctor could fit you in a week on Thursday...” or waiting for NHS Direct to go through 20 or so unrelated questions.

“As well as our out-of-hours service, we offer various levels of healthcare,” explains Dr Jobling. “Some patients come to us for a regular check-up or the care of an illness. Others may seek us for a second opinion or simply to keep their medical consultation strictly confidential. Whatever the reason, all appointments are prompt and personal, at a time and place that suits our patients.”

Aiming to work alongside your NHS care, the Night Doctor Service brings the old generational value of 'family doctor' medical care back to patients' doorsteps, right where we want it to be, when it suits us.

Registration and monthly subscription to the Night Doctor Service is quick, straightforward and affordable, and provides relief in the knowledge that you have your own accessible local doctor easily available and just a phone call away, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. These days, that's definitely peace of mind worth having!