Virtual GP services in Ireland: an honest review of the experience

Most people booking a virtual GP for the first time have the same two questions: will this feel like real medicine, and will I end up having to go in anyway? This is a straight answer to both, written by the doctor on the other side of the camera rather than a marketing team.

Minute by minute: the actual experience

What patients tell us works well

• No travel and no waiting room — the appointment happens where you already are, which matters most with young children, mobility problems or a job you cannot leave.
• Same-day access for the ordinary things: infections, rashes, contraception, medication reviews, sick certificates.
• The prescription goes straight to the pharmacy by Healthmail, so there is no paper to lose and no second trip.
• Written outputs arrive as proper signed documents with the GP's name and IMC number on them, which employers and pharmacies accept.
• Price is known in advance: €39 for a consultation, €25 for a smart prescription review, with no subscription behind it.

The honest frustrations

• Camera light is not clinical light. Skin, throats and eyes are usually assessable; subtle colour changes sometimes are not, and we will ask you to be seen.
• We cannot listen to your chest, feel an abdomen or take your blood pressure. When those matter, the consultation becomes a triage and a referral, not a diagnosis.
• Poor connections happen. A phone appointment is often the better choice on weak rural broadband, and we will switch rather than struggle.
• Some requests will be declined: controlled drugs, strong sedatives and opioids are not appropriate to prescribe remotely, however inconvenient that is.

How to judge any Irish virtual GP service

1. Check the clinician is on the Irish Medical Council register and that their IMC number appears on documents you receive.
2. Ask what the total cost of the outcome is, not the headline price — some services charge separately for the prescription or certificate.
3. Look for real, live same-day availability rather than a promise on a homepage.
4. Confirm prescriptions are sent by Healthmail to a pharmacy you choose.
5. Confirm your record is stored inside the EU, and that you can export or delete it yourself.
6. Check whether your own GP can be kept informed with your consent, so care stays joined up.

Who it suits, and who it does not

Virtual GP care is an excellent fit for common, self-contained problems and for anything that mainly needs a decision and a document. It is a poor fit for chest pain, severe breathlessness, acute abdominal pain, significant injury, or a mental health crisis — those need to be seen, and we will say so immediately rather than take your money.

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