The former adrenaline junkie looking to ease the load on the NHS system

The CEO of DoctorLink is more focused now on ensuring patients know what sort of care they need before they arrive to A&E or a GP office, Andy Martin writes

Rupert Spiegekberg and DoctorLink aim to triage patients before they arrive at A&E, lifting the load on doctors and the NHS system

“What are you going to do if you start feeling ill around 10 at night?” asks Rupert Spiegelberg. “Probably nothing till the morning. Then you call up and speak to an overworked receptionist. You might get an appointment the following week. Or in two weeks. You have a blood test. Another week to get the results. It might be a month before you finally get to sit down and discuss what’s wrong with you.” By which time you might be either dead or better.

Alternatively, he suggests, you can click on Doctorlink, answer all the sorts of questions your doctor is going to ask you anyway, and the app will tell you whether you ought to be going to A&E right now or simply staying in bed and having a hot cup of tea. It has also been updated to give you instant feedback on whether or not you might have Covid-19 and what to do next.

Rupert Spiegelberg himself, half-Swiss half-English, at 48, looks in rosy health. Now CEO of Doctorlink, based in Covent Garden, he used to surf in Devon and Cornwall during his days at Bristol University. And he went on to sail across the Atlantic, from the Canary Islands to Saint Lucia (and came third in the ARC race). “I feel I’ve probably done that enough now,” he says. “My appetite for adrenaline only goes so far.”