Flok Health, which provides same-day appointments for back pain via a smartphone app, is now available to nearly 1 million patients across the Lothian region.

Created using video footage of a human physiotherapist, Flok Health's digital clinic can offer patients personalised treatment at population scale, in a setting which feels like a structured responsive video call with a physiotherapist.

The NHS Lothian pilot means anyone registered with one of the 126 GP practices within the region can now self-refer directly to Flok's digital MSK clinic via existing self-referral portals, or can be referred by participating GP practices.

The new service manages patients on behalf of the NHS from initial presentation and assessment through to treatment delivery and discharge, and records all interactions and outcomes on an electronic health record.

The clinic, which was created by a team of physiotherapy and AI experts in Cambridge, is the first digital MSK clinic to have been approved by the Care Quality Commission.

Phil Ackerman, consultant MSK physiotherapist from NHS Lothian, said: ‘AI-enabled services such as Flok have the potential to improve the patient journey for some people with back pain through providing rapid, flexible access to care. It also offers an alternative management option for those who prefer a digital approach.

'Working in partnership on this pilot with Flok and Health Innovation Hub, South East Scotland, offers an outstanding and unique opportunity to explore how Flok's digital back pain service can be integrated within our range of healthcare services.'

The clinic is currently available to assess and treat patients across the Lothian region for back pain, with plans to later extend the service to provide care for additional musculoskeletal conditions at population scale.

Finn Stevenson, co-founder and chief executive of Flok Health, said: ‘Finding new ways to deliver care at population scale and empower patients with choice has never been more important, with physiotherapy wait lists growing and services facing record patient demand.'

He added: ‘We're excited to continue working closely with our NHS partners to deliver innovative, scalable care pathways for physiotherapy, eliminating wait lists and democratising access to world-class care.'