GP2U Review

Bottom Line:

GP2U delivers private access to several GPs during business hours and operates much like an online GP clinic. 

GP2U telehealth offers a broad range of GP-driven services, from general consultations to scripts and referrals to integrative medicine and mental health care. The provider lets GPs set their working hours and prices, which results in limited availability and less competitive service pricing. There isn’t any information available on bulk-billing. Medication delivery can be booked via the partnered Terry White Chemist. 

Pros:

1. All telehealth consultations are with GPs, similar to Instant Consult. 

2. Integrative lifestyle medicine approach, unlike most competitors, other than Healthy Life, which even offers naturopath consultations. 

3. Ability to book the same doctor for follow-ups, which is not available on most other sites. 

Cons: 

1. Prices significantly higher than most direct competitors during business hours and not fixed, instead set by GPs themselves. 

2. Customer service is limited in hours and helpfulness, similar to Midoc, which also has very mixed reviews. 

3. Scripts sent to pharmacy by fax – and sometimes do not arrive at all. 

GP-Centred Integrative Approach to Telehealth 

GP2U provides GP-based services, similar to an online GP practice. This includes video and phone consultations, referrals, scripts, as well as weight loss assistance, mental health care plans, and lifestyle medicine, such as nutrition advice. This makes GP2U’s offering a little more comprehensive than, for example, Instant Consult, which also provides online GP consults. 

Online Prescriptions: GP2U offers scripts sent directly via email or SMS so that you can access your medication without a physical visit. The script can also be faxed to a participating pharmacy for immediate pickup or delivered by GP2U’s partner Terry White Chemists by courier or mail. 

Lifestyle Medicine Consults: Lifestyle medicine consults with expert GPs are available via a booking form. This integrative medicine approach blends conventional treatments with complementary therapies like nutrition, physical activity, natural remedies, lifestyle medicine, and mental health treatment plans. 

Mental Health Plans: Mental health care treatment plans are available via a privately charged 20- to 40-minute telehealth consultation. GP2U’s partner PSYCH2U, which can deliver the plan’s sessions, also gives eligible HCF members quicker access to psychologists. 

Weight Loss Support: Weight loss plans are booked in advance and personalised by expert GPs. They include nutritional guidance, physical activity recommendations, behaviour modification strategies, and scripts when necessary. 

Telehealth Consultation: GP consultations last 10 minutes and are usually conducted by video call. 

Specialist Referral: Specialist referrals can be requested during the telehealth GP consult for pathology, blood tests, X-rays, and other diagnostic tests.  

Higher Prices Than Competitors, Advance Bookings Only 

Pricing on GP2U is at the higher end of comparable providers, even those that offer GP consults such as Instant Consult. It is set by the individual GPs, unlike on any other site. Where mental health care plans are provided via bulk-billing by some providers (or not at all), GP2U only states that Medicare coverage may vary. Still, it states explicitly very high costs for mental health care appointments. However, there is access to a free assessment for HCF members via GP2U’s partner, PSYCH2U. 

Here is the detailed pricing and wait times breakdown: 

• Standard appointments, scripts, and referrals all cost between $58 and $79. HCF members with health cover can receive a discounted standard consultation for $50. There is no specific mention of medical certificates on the site. Wait times for a doctor’s appointment can be long. When I checked, there were no appointments available on any weekend, and most appointments were only available during peak business hours. Choices were limited on the same day. This is very unusual for private telehealth providers, both in terms of wait times and time slots. Most offer after-hours service and appointments within minutes or hours. The only exception I have come across so far is the fully bulk-billed 13SICK, which has very varied wait times and is only open after hours. 

• Mental health support or a treatment plan costs from $170 to $220 and may not be with a specialised GP. Wait times for the actual sessions may be longer, as they depend on another provider. 
• Medication delivery is arranged via Terry White Pharmacy online. The provider sets costs. Same-day delivery available. 

Note: Medicare coverage may vary, according to the site. Bulk-billing is not explicitly addressed. 

Basic Site with Missing and Outdated Information

The GP2U website is very basic, with limited functionality and menu options. It highlights specific services, such as lifestyle medicine, but does not provide a clear, accessible explanation about pricing or the booking process. The site reminded me a bit of the Midoc site, where information also needed to be found via Googling, for example, “pricing” and “GP2U”. Even when I found the relevant information, it was still vague, e.g., not specifying wait times for services. GP2U’s site lacks clarity, but it is partially due to the way the business operates, which is more like a service connecting customers with individual GPs rather than a private telehealth provider offering set prices, 24/7 access to GPs and customer service, and handling medication delivery. 

The site has outdated information, including a section about Skype under FAQs, which is discontinued, and references to its app in the Google Play Store, which was also no longer available for Android when I checked. 

No information is available on opening hours. When checking the booking form, where you can select time slots, there were no after-hours services available.  

Broad Privacy Policy for Company Group 

GP2U’s privacy policy is worded somewhat broadly due to the inclusion of several other service providers from the same group (similar to the privacy policy of Hub Health), as well as staff members.  
 
It does state that the service complies with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). The way GP2U ensures your data’s security is also detailed. It states that all information is stored on Australian servers only and is subject to encryption and password-protection to keep it secure. This is in line with most other telehealth providers. 
 
However, it does mention more potential reasons to share your data and details, as well as more potential organisations to share it with, such as schools.  

Also, while you can opt out of the automatic marketing and research communication inclusion, like with all providers I have examined, it states: “even if you opt out of receiving such marketing and promotional material, We may still contact you in future regarding your actual use of any Services”.  

Overall, the policy is much broader, similar to the Woolworth-owned Healthy Life’s. 

Customer Service Often Unavailable and Unhelpful 

Customer service is available via email, live chat, phone, and fax. However, the opening hours for all services are limited to Monday to Friday, 8.30 am to 4.30 pm. Some information on the site also mentions a one-hour lunch break, but in other parts, this is omitted. The opening hours are much more limited than most telehealth services, but they do mirror the consultation hours, as far as I could find. 

App Store users rate the GP2U app 4.5 out of 5 [1], but a significant number of one-star reviews state that the customer service is not helpful, often unavailable, or takes several days to address issues. The problems stated include scripts not faxed to the pharmacy, the booking process not working in the app, and customer service being completely unresponsive for days. 

The problems stated are more extensive than with other sites, often leaving customers to use a secondary provider instead. I have not come across similarly bad reviews of customer service on any other site I have reviewed yet. 

GP2U Telehealth Australia: Like Private GP Marketplace 

Owing to its limited opening hours and GP availability, GP2U operates more like a telehealth marketplace platform. This doctor-focused approach includes how GPs can set their own rates for consultations. The upside is that you can book an appointment time with the same GP repeatedly via telehealth. However, you will be doing so within limited opening hours and at a higher cost than with other providers. The service has a stronger focus on integrative lifestyle medicine than other services and also offers private psychologist assistance via mental health care plans and its partner PSYCH2U. Unusually, it does not fully bulk-bill the treatment plan consultation, like for example, Qoctor. 

Please note that while all information provided is independently researched and fact-checked, it does not represent medical advice. Telehealth services, even if provided by GPs, cannot replace the expert care of your own GP. Physical assessments and continuity of care form an essential part of long-term health care solutions. For any medical questions, please get in touch with your primary healthcare provider. 

[1] https://apps.apple.com/au/app/gp2u-telehealth-online-doctors/id625961235