No trader wanted to handle cash, and no customer wanted to touch a keypad, so the “beep” of a contactless card, or phone, is the norm. The use of cash has been declining for many years, with debit card transactions overtaking cash in 2017, and it is hard to see how that will ever reverse.

Families and friends discovered Zoom and its peers, and they too have become a new norm - my 15 month old grandson believes that “seeing Grandad” is only possible on a laptop! Physical meetings are starting to return but now that the technology has been learned by so many, it’s reasonable to assume that video calls will increasingly replace phone calls.

Working from home has shown everyone the benefit of saving time on the commute. Not all can work from home but, where it is possible, have we not crossed the Rubicon? A sizeable majority of our staff have asked that a week split between home and office becomes our standard way of working long after a vaccine is developed

And patients and GP’s have discovered e-consultations. These have been around for several years and, even though the Contract requires that all patients will have the right to a digital consultation by April 2021, I suspect that the great majority of Practices, and patients, remained sceptical about the use or benefit. But the lockdown has accelerated the use of that technology hugely and it is difficult to see how that will not become a “new normal” in its own right. There are now over 370 million GP consultations each year – up about 20% in only 5 years. We know that our GP clients are all struggling to cope with the demand, and with an ageing population, the pressure is only going to grow. E-consultations are a way of triaging and handling greater numbers, and are here to stay.

The last few months have been challenging for all but maybe this period will have accelerated change that will bring benefits.

Author

Stephen Pritchard, Partner
Menzies