Book a Video Consultation

What is GP Live?

GPlive is an online video consultation service which allows you to speak face to face with a GP through your phone, tablet, laptop or desktop 7 days a week. Laya healthcare members get unlimited access to GP Live, at no additional cost. Fair usage applies. 

Appointments available

8am to 10pm - Monday to Friday
10am to 6pm - Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays  (excluding Dec 25th, Dec 26th and Jan 01)

* Please note: Bank Holidays will operate at a reduced capacity.

The service is provided in accordance with your scheme rules and table of benefits, which you can find on the Member Area on layahealthcare.ie or by calling 021 202 2000. All GPs are based in Ireland and are registered with Irish Medical Council and familiar with Irish medical practices

What Can I Use The GPlive Service For?

You can speak to a GPlive GP about most aspects of men's, women's and children's health.

GPlive GPs will be able to provide clinical advice and guidance, and if safe and suitable for you, issue a private prescription. They can also refer you for minor diagnostic tests and if necessary, refer you for the most appropriate further treatment.

Our doctors can treat you or a child in your care.

If you are booking a GP video consultation for a child, both you and the child MUST be physically present during the video consultation. The video consultation will not be able to proceed if both parties are not present and visible.

You cannot book a GP video consultation for another adult. Any adult over 17 years old must have a separate Laya Member Area account to access and use CareOnCall. Please ask your family members to register for the Laya Member Area with their own membership number and date of birth by clicking here.

Our service regards an adult as anyone who is 17 years or older.

What Is Covered by GPlive?

• Clinical advice
• Private prescriptions
• Scans and diagnostic tests
• Referral or sick notes

(Requests for medical certificates are dealt with on a case by case basis. PLEASE NOTE - it is possible that our GPs might not be able to assist with all medical certificate requests as in-person physical examination may be required - please see the list of exclusions below)

What We Can Treat

We can treat some of the most common illnesses that may not require a physical examination. These include:

• Coughs & colds.
• Sore throat.
• Upset stomach.
• Female urinary tract infections/ cystitis (non-pregnant).
• Skin & eye issues.
• Mild to moderate anxiety and low mood (Note: we do not provide controlled medicines, like Xanax or any sleeping tablets).
• Joint or back pain.
• Stable medical conditions such as diabetes, thyroid disorders, hypertension & high cholesterol.

What isn’t covered by GPlive?

• Hands-on examinations and treatment
• Emergency treatment e.g. chest pain, suspected stroke or fractured bones
• The medical conditions listed under “What We Can’t Treat”
• Alternative therapies, lifestyle surgeries or oral surgery
• Drugs listed as controlled drugs or potential drugs of abuse (these are not safe to use without the supervision of a regular doctor). 
  • Examples of controlled drugs include: benzodiazepines, codeine, morphine, tramadol, modafinil (or any drugs used in ADHD), pregabalin/ gabapentin, sleeping tablets (e.g. Zolpidem), heroin substitutes (e.g. methadone, Subutex)
• Medications that require close monitoring e.g. Warfarin, Lithium and Dianette
• Certain unlicensed medications
• We cannot issue certificates/ reports that require a physical examination, including but not limited to:
• Ergonomic assessments for workplace/home office equipment.
• Driver’s license medical reports.
• Fit for work certificates.
• Fit for sports certificates (e.g. gym/marathons/sports).
• We cannot issue prescriptions for long-acting reversible contraception (LARCs).
  

What We Can't Treat

As we are not able to perform a physical examination, we cannot safely manage certain conditions including the following: 

• Ear symptoms (including pain, discharge, bleeding, internal itch, and hearing loss)
• Testicular lumps
• Sudden onset of severe testicular pain
• Breast lumps
• Urine infections in children (<16 years), males and pregnant women
• Children < 1year old with a temperature of more than 38 degrees

There may be other conditions or situations when it is not safe for us to manage your condition via an online GP video consultation. If this is the case, our doctors will explain the reason for this and discuss your options with you.

Management of mental health concerns:

• If your current symptoms are not suitable for us to manage appropriately and safely via a GP video consultation, the doctor may advise that you attend a local GP for follow up. We have a large number of GPs in our service, so you may see a different GP each time, which means the ideal continuity of care will be difficult to achieve.
• We are not able to manage/ assess mental health conditions in patients less than 18 years of age.

Can I Use This Service If I am Pregnant?

We can manage some common conditions in pregnant women that are not pregnancy-related. 

Please be aware, you may be asked to attend your local doctor if a physical examination is felt to be clinically appropriate. 

If you are concerned that there is a decrease in baby’s movements, or you have bleeding, please contact your local maternity assessment unit for advice immediately.

If you think you may have a urine infection, please contact your local GP or maternity assessment unit. It is essential that a urine sample is tested in pregnant women if there are concerns about infection.

Can you provide medical certificates/ sick notes?

Requests for medical certificates are dealt with on a case by case basis. We cannot provide retrospective medical certificates – these can only be issued where a patient has been seen within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms or appropriate medical documentation is provided. PLEASE NOTE - it is possible that our GPs might not be able to assist with all medical certificate requests as in-person physical examination may be required.

What Do I Do If I (or my child) Have An Emergency?

For medical emergencies you should contact the Emergency Services on 112 or 999.

If you, your child or a young adult is clearly ill and a purplish or red rash has appeared, press the side of a glass tumbler firmly against their skin. If you can see the rash through the glass, the person has septicaemia (blood poisoning). Seek urgent medical help at the A&E department of your local hospital, or call 112 or 999 to request an ambulance.

If you feel you will do harm to yourself or have suicidal thoughts we urge you to contact your local Doctor, a family member, friend or work colleague. The Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123. Pieta House provides suicide and self-harm support services all over Ireland. To contact Pieta House, call their free, 24-hour crisis helpline on 1800 247 247.

Where can I use this service?

Our doctors can only treat patients who are physically located in the Republic of Ireland at the time of the consultation. This means that we cannot issue prescriptions, medical certificates or referrals if you are outside the Republic of Ireland.

Which hospitals can facilitate a referral for blood tests?

Under Section 56 of the Health Act 1970, patients are entitled to the use of Public Hospital laboratories when requested by a GP for investigation of symptoms or illness.

Unfortunately a number of Public Hospital laboratories have stated that they will no longer provide access to testing services for our patients.

We very much regret that, as a direct result, we are unable to provide test referrals for patients to the hospitals listed below. Patients living locally to these hospitals are advised to contact their local GP to request a referral instead. 

• Saint Vincent's Hospital, Dublin 04
  
• Saint James’ Hospital, Dublin 08
• Tallaght Hospital, Dublin 24
• Saint Columcille’s, Loughlinstown
• Naas General Hospital
• Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda
• Wexford General Hospital
• University Hospital Waterford
• University Hospital Galway 
• University Hospital Kerry 

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause our patients.

What do I need to use the GPlive service on my iOS or Android device?

You can simply download our iOS Laya Member App from the App store. For this, you'll need an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad running iOS 14 or later. The Android Laya Member App can be downloaded from the Play Store. You will need at least Android version 7 onwards, running on an Android mobile device.  Please ensure you are running the latest version of your OS and Browser.

What do I need to use the service on my laptop or desktop?

You'll need a laptop or desktop with a Webcam and Microphone running Windows 7 or later (or on 11.X+ for Mac users). The following browsers are being supported:

• Google Chrome (latest release version)
• Firefox (latest release version)
• Opera (latest release of desktop version only)
• Edge (latest release version)
• Safari (latest release version)

GPlive video consultations are not supported on Internet Explorer at the current time.