Given that they are unlikely to suddenly melt away, Dr Muiris Houston contemplates the impact of online medical services and how safe they areGP video consultation services look like they are here to stay. Ease of accessWhile affordable and accessible private primary care may be attractive to many patients, the existence of these services raises other questions. A recent article in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine took a critical look at online video consulting in primary care. The uncertainty inherent in video consulting, where examination is impossible, might be expected to result in increased antibiotic prescription, due to clinicians feeling a need to ‘play it safe’”, they said. What about the safety of online consulting?