“Having an Equipsme plan is like having your own GP on call when you need them. It’s really worked for me and my family. I love it.”
For mum-of-two Sharren Huang from Oxford, Equipsme is now the first port of call when someone gets ill.
She explains: “Having an Equipsme plan is like having your own GP on call when you need them. The 24/7 virtual GP service is incredibly good, so much so that I’d rather speak to someone there than try to see my NHS GP.
“In my area it’s so hard to get an appointment right now, and it seems to be getting worse. The phone lines are open for about 5 minutes a day and it’s impossible to get through.
“My two girls are 6 and 8, so we’re right it the middle of all the childhood illnesses, and one of them is always bringing something home from school! What’s more it always seems to be on a Friday or at a weekend when we can’t get to the GP anyway, and then we’re faced with the prospect of waiting hours in a walk-in centre or even A&E. With Equipsme we’ve got another option, and it’s been so, so helpful.
“It's so easy to get an appointment at a time that works for you, and they spend lots of time asking questions and talking to you about what’s going on. They can prescribe medication, or even provide an Open Referral for you to arrange to see someone else if that’s what you need.
Itchy skin
“Not so long ago my oldest daughter developed very itchy skin and a rash. Nothing was making her feel better – she was crying and scratching, not able to get to sleep or go to school, and really in distress. Of course that meant that I couldn’t go to work either because I had to be at home looking after her.
“This was on a Friday. We had no idea what was going on, so we asked Equipsme for help. We took photos and videos and uploaded them to the App, and got an appointment the same day. The doctor listened to our concerns, looked at the pictures and prescribed us some cream.
“We bought the prescription at our local pharmacy and started using the cream immediately. It made a huge difference - and she finally got some relief. It’s so hard to watch your child be in pain like that, and so worrying, so it really gave us peace of mind. It also saved us all from a very uncomfortable weekend, and meant that she was ready to go back to school on the Monday - and I could go back to work.
“I’m very grateful to my employers that they bought an Equipsme plan for staff to take care for us. And being able to add on my family for just a few extra pounds a month has been so beneficial.”
Family cover
It’s not just Sharren’s daughters who’ve benefited from being part of her Equipsme plan, her husband has used it to.
“I think I’m the only one that hasn’t used the Equipsme plan!” says Sharren. “I’m generally in very good health, knock on wood, but my husband hurt his back and shoulder in a skiing accident last year. It was quite sore and meant he couldn’t do simple things like lift the kids up. We used the physiotherapy support from Equipsme and found an AXA Health-approved therapist just around the corner. They were able to get him sorted out and he’s completely fine again now.
“I would describe Equipsme as an instant back-up - and I’d definitely recommend it to other people. The virtual GP might not be able to examine you in person, but they can spend that extra time listening to you, and giving you very good advice about what to do next. It’s really worked for me and my family. I love it.”
