Adrian Franklin, ticker NEWS
Our final guest. Now going to the GP as we know isn’t anyone’s idea of a good time. Appointments often run late, you need to wait in often unpleasant waiting rooms, and it can be hard to find a park as well. Our next guest has a solution for everyone. Dr. Deepak Gaur is providing patients with the choice of when and where they see their GP with Pop Up GP. And he’s here in the studio to tell us all about it. Great to have you. How are you?
Dr. Deepak Gaur, Pop Up GP
Good, how are you?
Adrian Franklin, ticker NEWS
Yeah really, really, well. Um, tell us about this. It is a nightmare situation. I think it really turns people off from probably booking in. Um where did you come up with this idea first of all?
Dr. Deepak Gaur, Pop Up GP
Look I thought about this idea after coming back to Australia, having lived in New York. Ah I had worked in the pharmaceutical industry, and I was looking for new challenge. And I was thinking about the type of model of different health care we could provide for Australian patients. Um you know, it is a challenge getting to the doctor. It is a challenge getting an appointment of your choice. It is a challenge if you’ve got to change your appointment. And so I came up with this concept of Pop Up GP. We’re really trying to provide a personalised General Practice that really caters to your lifestyle. So you can choose to see us by video, or face to face at your home, your office, your aged care facility, or at our clinic. You can book appointments online. You can cancel appointments online. And you can see us at a pretty, you know, broad range of hours, 7 till 7, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.
Adrian Franklin, ticker NEWS
Awesome. So before we talk more about what you’re up to there, why is it so hard? Why has it been so hard in the past for people to, to book appointments, and just everything surrounding it really?
Dr. Deepak Gaur, Pop Up GP
Look, I think when you establish your own practice, um, you know, doctors become busy pretty quickly.
Adrian Franklin, ticker NEWS
Right.
Dr. Deepak Gaur, Pop Up GP
And so typically, you know, you don’t plan to be sick. And if you wake up Monday morning, and you’re unwell and you call your doctor, your doctor has already got patients already planned to see them. They might be seeing them for their chronic disease as they usually do. They might be seeing them for something that came up, say the weekend beforehand. There might be something planned like a child’s vaccine. So, the doctors already busy. The doctor’s already got appointments and to find a time for you, when they’re already full, it’s actually very difficult.
Adrian Franklin, ticker NEWS
Yeah, sure, that’s actually a good point. In terms of valuing the patient’s time, I think that’s sometimes for the patient, you know, they think, do you actually care about my time in any way? Obviously, it can be difficult for doctors, but how are you trying to value their time?
Dr. Deepak Gaur, Pop Up GP
So we’re trying to provide, you know, 20 minute, 40 minute and 60 minute appointments, so quite long appointments. We’re trying to space out the appointments, and also build in time, you know, between appointments so that we don’t run late. Now, patients are often very disturbed when that you know, you are running late, but they realise that actually you’re running late because you’re
with another patient, and then they’re not they’re not too fussed about it. But I think it’s important to explain that to a patient, and also try and provide structures in place so that, you know, if you’re running late, you let them know. And you know, you make space appointments so that you know, you can try and see patients on time as much as possible,
Adrian Franklin, ticker NEWS
What’s some of the feedback you’ve had from people who have been involved? Or what are they sort of saying to You?
Dr. Deepak Gaur, Pop Up GP
Look people, the idea has really resonated with people. The concept that you can actually plan um your day, and it’s not an impediment to actually see a doctor. Now we’re offering office based appointments. So I will come to a patient’s office. That’s very, very different. Obviously it needs to be an appropriate office, you couldn’t do an open, you know, open space plan, you need to have somewhere you can actually examine a patient like a sickbay or somewhere like that. And so that’s an idea that’s really resonated with the feedback I’ve got so far.
Adrian Franklin, ticker NEWS
Yeh right. Where can we find out a little bit more and is this for for everyone out there do you think or is it a special sort of group of people? Who should be listening?
Dr. Deepak Gaur, Pop Up GP
So we’re initially opening in the inner south eastern suburbs of Melbourne so Toorak, Hawksburn, South Yarra, Prahran, Prahran East, Windsor, St. Kilda Road, Albert Park, Middle Park, and East Melbourne. They can find out more information at our website, www.popupgp.com
Adrian Franklin, ticker NEWS
Awesome. Well, I think a lot of people would be very happy to hear it. Even for me, it reminds me I’ve got a book in a GP appointment.
Dr. Deepak Gaur, Pop Up GP
Good.
Adrian Franklin, ticker NEWS
So maybe I’ll do it with you. But the fact that it’s easier, it’s just going to enable us to I mean, everything in the world is becoming easier, right?
Dr. Deepak Gaur, Pop Up GP
That’s right.
Adrian Franklin, ticker NEWS
Even these, um you know, more laborious, kind of difficult waiting rooms, sort of situations with everything needs to be easier right?
Dr. Deepak Gaur, Pop Up GP
Yes exactly. You’ve got to think about the patient and how do you provide the service the patient requires.
Adrian Franklin, ticker NEWS
Totally. Mate enjoy ah the rest of your day. We’ll have to talk to you again soon this year and see how everything’s going. But thanks so much for your time.
Dr. Deepak Gaur, Pop Up GP
Thanks, Adrian. See you.
Adrian Franklin, ticker NEWS
Great stuff. I do need to book an appointment. I’m not joking at all. Okay, moving on.