Visit to GP Pathfinder Clinics

Our chief executive Daniel Elkeles recently visited GP Pathfinder Clinics (GPC) – who serve over 100,000 patients who speak more than 149 languages – at their headquarters in Brent, home of Wembley Stadium. Daniel visited because he had been told he would see something special – and he wasn't disappointed.

Daniel said: "GPC has completely reimagined primary care for a young, digitally enabled, and mobile urban population (average age 30–35), while tackling inequalities in access to clinical trials for deprived communities.
 
"Their philosophy is simple but ambitious – to deliver private healthcare levels of service on the NHS, powered by smart digital tools. This approach has grown the practice from 14,000 patients to over 100,000 today.

"An "always open" digital front door enables 24/7 requests and multilingual AI triage to seamless clinician review. This is then reviewed by GPs, supported by skilled pharmacists, who work closely with the wider multidisciplinary team, including specialist clinicians, to ensure speed and consistency. 

🔵 Patients can also walk in or call – though fewer than 10% now choose this route. 
🔵 Their system never closes, with healthcare professionals' initial responses averaging under 8 hours. 
🔵 Well over 90% of issues are resolved on the same working day.

"Their surgeries are divided into Hot (acute) and Cold (chronic) sites, ensuring the right specialist sees the right patient and that urgent care doesn't overwhelm chronic management. This segmentation also keeps reception and phone lines easily manageable.

"The results speak for themselves with high patient satisfaction and significantly fewer 999, 111, and emergency department visits.

"Recognising that most clinical trials involve more affluent and less diverse populations, they have built their own clinical trials centre in partnership with FutureMeds, funded by the pharmaceutical industry, to address one of the core issues at its source. They have already begun several studies and enrolled so many participants that they are likely to almost single-handedly alter the ethnic composition of UK clinical trial data.

"By harnessing technology to its fullest, this practice has improved access and delivered equitable outcomes for communities – proof that the future is very much here now. 

"Thank you to Jahan, Mo, Sheik and the GPC team for an extraordinary and inspiring visit."