Imagine if you could do just pick up the phone any time and reach a doctor? Or send a quick message to a concierge to find out which medications you need to avoid or which won’t work with your existing ones? This – and much more – is what SOLICE offers. For me this is particularly pertinent after seeing what happened to my Dad ten years ago after his kidney transplant.
It all started so well. After a little hiccup when it came to procuring the kidney (my dad was in his 70s at that point, meaning he was at the bottom of the list for receiving a donation and my brother had to step in and offer his up), the whole process was seamlessly executed and my Dad left hospital singing the praises of the NHS. He was particularly rapturous about his surgeon and the nurses.
After leaving, things became a little more tricky not because of the staff, who remained extraordinary, but because of the system; his nephrologist, who cares for his kidney health, and cardiologist, who oversees his heart health, didn’t have computers operating on the same system, and that very small but very significant fact nearly killed him twice. Both specialists raged at what one of them referred to as — and I’m omitting the ruder language here — “woefully inadequate infrastructure” when they realised that this little clerical detail meant that he had been prescribed medication that would’ve either stopped his heart or meant his kidney was rejected.
Dad was lucky that my sister (who is not medically trained) spotted both errors and alerted the experts, so all was well. But what about people who don’t have daughters with hawkish eyes for detail? What if rather than battle through that “woefully inadequate infrastructure” or having to firefight illness, doctors had the resources to delve deeper, to foster deeper understanding of their patients’ needs?
I know: it’s sounds like a pipe dream. Well, unless you’re acquainted with and have the means to enlist someone like Dr Liza Osagie-Clouard MD PhD, the award-winning orthopedic surgeon who decided to open SOLICE, a private members’ healthcare concept.
“I founded SOLICE to allow the very best doctor specific to be given to the individual, not just from a roster but a GP who knows you and is your advocate. I wanted to bring about a renaissance of the doctor-patient relationship but reimagined, one that is integrated and preventative, bringing the best in longevity and alternative medicine to create a holistic and cutting-edge precise approach,” Dr Osagie-Clouard explains.
A few months ago, I embarked on a trial membership to see how it worked and whether hers was potentially a model that would serve patients well. At £5,950 annually, I wondered if SOLICE might be able to offer health insights that were simply impossible given the time and resources my GP has; I’m acutely aware during every appointment of how much pressure they’re under and often find myself brushing things under the carpet as a result. That’s once I’ve got the coveted appointment, of course – a survey conducted by Pulse has found that the average wait time for a routine GP appointment in the UK is almost 15 days with 1 in 20 waiting for as long as 4 weeks.
Let’s start at the very beginning, as Fraulein Maria would advise, with my first appointment at the clinic. SOLICE is in Mayfair, of course, through which run many arteries of London. Fancy, naturally. Much marble, with the sort of space that allows for ornaments that are purely ornamental and do not need to also double up as a place to hide various essentials.
But that’s not really what blew me away. It was rather the initial consultation, which is booked through the concierge with such ease – two e-mails, time booked, in I go the following day. I usually go into my doctor armed with bullet points I can get across with the greatest speed possible for the aforementioned reasons. They broadly start with the most critical so I leave assured I won’t imminently die, then trail off with things that are merely impediments to my comfort. I got through all of those with Liza in ten minutes, and for the remaining hour, we went much deeper.
Rather than agree that my annual bout of tonsillitis should be treated with antibiotics, for example, Liza asked about my family history in terms of lung and chest health, asked how I felt about my respiratory system on a day-to-day basis, and decided on the strength of my answers that under her referral I should see an expert to take a thorough look at what was going on.
And, better, we got past my B list of ailments and onto things that I know are merely paranoia but, still. Even more remarkably, Liza took it all in her stride, joined the dots, and recommended a three-month programme during which I’d be seen by a series of experts and practitioners to get some solid answers, to correct where things were going wrong, and to arm me for information for the future. In her view, allaying my fears was as essential as having an in depth analysis of my body’s current state because the body and mind are inextricably entwined.
This meant, in no particular order, that Breathwork Coach Rob Rea came to my house and taught me breathing techniques for stress, that psychotherapist Gemma Luke helped me to manage some emotional turbulence, that trainer Sean Vine put me through gruelling cardio circuits and came up with a manageable weekly training schedule, that gynaecologist Shazia Malik ran through my hormonal wobbles with me, and that Dr Melissa Wickremasinghe tested my entire respiratory system to see where the real weaknesses lie.
The support offered under SOLICE’s care was also noteworthy. The concierge would answer questions quickly via e-mail, text, or phone 24/7. When I needed blood tests, a nurse turned up at my door, took my blood, and dropped it at the clinic, and results were sent my way, along with notes, a mere day later. Medication was delivered to wherever I was within hours — this includes when abroad, so should you need something while on a trip, SOLICE sort that, too. And any time I needed some guidance from Osagie-Clouard, there she was on zoom, or with advice via the concierge. I should say here that there is no cap on the doctor’s time, and while the NHS average appointment is 9.22 minutes long, those at SOLICE are 61.8 minutes long.
After three months, I not only feel much better, but know where my blind spots are, and precisely how to deal with them. I also became a little used to the efficiency of it all, and on being reacquainted with the round the houses system at my GP — I had to call three times this week, waiting for twenty off minutes on each call, to renew a medication that would’ve under the SOLICE model merely required a single e-mail to be sent, saving everyone time — it made me wish I could’ve said there’s another way, that healthcare can be less stressful for all involved. Sadly, for now, it is only those who can afford it who will have access to this gold standard.
