Getting an appointment with a GP or specialist in the UK has never been more difficult, with millions of people waiting weeks before they can be seen. Even after this initial consultation, the problems continue. The route to seeing a specialist is long, with waiting times running into months. GPs have only a few minutes to assess each patient and decide if they need a referral, and if so, which specialist they should see.

Unfortunately, they are not infallible, and we have seen many instances in which mistakes are made, and the patient is forced to start the process again having wasted up to nine or ten months waiting to see the wrong doctor. When patients are forced to wait until their symptoms are severe before even making it to the waiting list, these delays can have devastating effects.

We think this needs to change. That is why we started Doctoria, a global service giving patients in the UK from all backgrounds fast access to specialist doctors, so that they can diagnose and treat their conditions without delay.