As a GP I am often asked for recommendations about local independent therapists and I realised that even my local knowledge was patchy and anecdotal. There was no single source of information and I was often confused by the plethora of therapy types and qualifications.
I wondered whether patients and their advisers were always making the most appropriate choice. Therapists did not seem to have access to a consistent means of promoting their services and there was no mechanism for patients for feed-back on their experience for the benefit of others. The local NHS had all of these things, but independent therapists, due to their diversity and independence, did not.
Primetreatment is aiming to be the preferred source of information at the interface between Private Sector therapists, their patients and the NHS. To achieve this, it has to satisfy the needs of all of these stakeholders.
Private therapists will want to be confident that the information is accurate, flexible and promotional. Patients will want the website to be responsive, easy to understand and interactive. The NHS will want to the information to be comprehensive, compatible with, and of the same high standard, as that expected of Public Organisations.
The website currently offers the following features:
A comprehensive directory of local therapists and their practices
Detailed information about the various therapy types with explanation about relevant qualifications, regulatory bodies and website links
Comprehensive details about therapists and practices provided by the therapists themselves
A Variety of Search Mechanisms to help Patients find appropriate practices and therapists
A quality rating scale based on the information provided
A Patient experience feedback mechanism
A regular system of information review to ensure that details are kept up to date
A Classified Adverts page to allow therapists to advertise room and therapist vacancies, services and equipment
There are plans to develop further opportunities for advertising and promotion and a News page to keep abreast of news and recent developments.
We want to provide what you want so please contact us with your ideas and criticism. Clearly we may not be able to satisfy all of your requests but in order for you to want to use the site regularly, we want you to feel part of its development so please help us to help you!
Many patients look beyond the NHS for medical treatment. They choose independent therapists for a variety of reasons including convenience, privacy and personal service.