Tesco to offer all UK staff private virtual doctor appointments

Tesco is to offer all of its 310,000 UK staff virtual appointments with a private doctor, as the NHS gets put under further pressure.

The new scheme aims to give staff and their families access to unlimited GP appointments seven days a week, according to Reuters.

It comes at a time where ongoing pressure on the NHS has left people unable to get appointments with their local GPs, due to ever-growing waiting lists.

According to NHS data, almost five million patients each month in England wait more than two weeks for a GP appointment.

Earlier this year, Tesco launched at-home testing kits for shoppers and staff to test for various health problems, including bowel cancer, menopause and thyroid issues, in more than 500 UK stores.

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The UK’s largest retailer also partnered with YuLife to offer the service, and its GPs are able to issue private prescriptions, which can be collected at pharmacies on the same day or delivered to the patient’s home.

The supermarket’s staff will also have access to nutritionists, counsellors, physiotherapists and sleep therapists.

Tesco UK people director James Goodman said: “This is a direct investment in the health of our colleagues.”

The news comes as over the past year, major supermarkets have raised pay on numerous occasions, with Tesco hiking wages by more than 15% as it looks to retain staff.