Hundreds left out of pocket as GP clinic closes
GPNow, which opened in Cork just last year, closed its Union Quay clinic on Tuesday after emailing staff late on Friday with the unexpected news that GPNow Cork Ltd was being wound up voluntarily.
It is understood that those employed by GPNow to run the clinic — including a doctor and four administrative staff — had not been paid for up to two months.
It is also understood that GPNow had been encouraging patients by text up until very recently to take out a 10-year membership at a cost of €999. The service operates on a membership basis.
The GPNow service continues to operate three clinics in Dublin, in Sandyford, Swords, and Templeogue, with combined membership of close to 8,000 patients.
A fourth clinic in Portmarnock closed a couple of weeks ago.
The Irish Examiner understands staff did not know that the clinic had closed when they arrived for work on a Monday morning.
Up to 700 patients were registered with the Cork clinic, and approximately half had chosen the option to pay membership up-front at a cost of €180 per individual or €360 per family for a year’s membership. This entitled members to unlimited GP visits for the year.
There was also the option of a three-year membership for an up-front fee of €360 per individual or €720 per family, or a 10-year membership for an up-front fee of €999 per individual or €1,499 per family.
The Irish Examiner understands that around 40 to 50 families had registered with the Cork clinic for a 10-year membership.
Customers could also pay by direct debit, €15 per month for an individual or €30 for a family.
However, it is the customers who paid up-front that stand to lose most from the clinic’s closure.
Some Cork patients said receipts they received from the service bore the name ‘GPNow’ but the liquidation notice appeared to show a change to GPNow Cork Ltd. This is the company being wound up. A notice on GPNow’s website says the closure of the Cork clinic “does not affect services at any other GPNow clinics”.
Calls to GPNow clinics operations manager Owen Murray went unanswered yesterday.
Mr Murray was the signatory to the liquidation letter, in which he advised staff that “unfortunately, due to the best efforts of all of us, the business has not proved to be viable” and they had therefore taken the “prudent course of action” and commenced winding up the company.
A creditors’ meeting is due to take place in Mitchelstown, Co Cork, next week.
GPNow pitches itself as “a revolution in GP care” and is marketed as an affordable option for those who need frequent GP visits.
One mother of two who did not wish to be identified said it had offered “a good service and was very economical for a family”.
She said she was disappointed that the clinic had closed and that her family had lost money because they had registered up-front.
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