Online GP services in Ireland: how to compare them

Ireland now has a number of private online doctor services, and from the outside they look similar: a fee, a video call, a prescription. The differences that matter to patients are less visible — who the doctor is, how fast you are actually seen, how a prescription reaches your pharmacy, and where your medical record is stored. This guide gives you a checklist you can apply to any provider, including this one.

The nine checks that matter

1. Is the clinician on the Irish Medical Council register? Irish prescriptions and sick certs need an Irish-registered prescriber. Ask for the doctor's IMC number if it is not published.
2. What is the total fee? Look for the consultation price plus any separate charges for a prescription, a certificate or a referral letter.
3. Is there a subscription or membership? Some services keep a card on file or charge monthly whether or not you use them.
4. How soon is the next real appointment? Published live availability is stronger evidence than a marketing promise of 'within minutes'.
5. Video, phone, or questionnaire only? A written questionnaire reviewed asynchronously is not the same as being seen.
6. How are prescriptions sent? In Ireland the safe route is Healthmail, the HSE-approved secure channel to community pharmacies.
7. Where are your records stored? Ask whether data stays inside the EU and whether you can export or delete it.
8. Does the service write to your own GP? Continuity matters for repeat medication and chronic disease — with your consent a summary should go to your regular practice.
9. What happens when the problem cannot be handled remotely? A good service will decline and redirect you rather than prescribe blindly.

How NOVAGP.IE answers the checklist

Cheapest is not always cheapest

Compare the total cost of the outcome you need, not the headline consultation fee. A low consultation price with a separate charge for the prescription and another for the certificate can end up dearer than a single inclusive fee. Equally, a repeat medicine you only need reviewed does not always need a full consultation — a €25 GP-reviewed smart prescription may be the right product.

When to use your own GP instead

If you hold a medical card and the problem can wait, your registered GP is the cheaper and more joined-up option. Online private care earns its fee when speed, distance, work or travel make that impractical, or when you need something documented today.

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