Video clinics

Video appointments are consultations that take place between yourself and your health care professional over a video call, as opposed to face-to-face or over the telephone. We recognise that it isn't always easy or convenient to come to hospital for an appointment, and that some people need to attend several times as part of their care. Therefore, we are offering some of our outpatient appointments via video calls.

Video consultations are recommended when we can achieve as much during an online appointment as we would face to face.

A video consultation from your home or workplace may work better for you; this can save you time and money, also can be kinder on our environment and feedback shows that many patients prefer it.

On the other hand, a video appointment may not be right for you if you need to undergo a procedure, or a physical examination.

Your clinician will assess and or discuss with you whether this choice is suitable for you and the care you need. If you have a face-to-face consultation booked but believe you would benefit from a video appointment instead, please speak to your clinician or contact the booking team.

Below are some FAQ’s which we hope will help with your video appointment.

What will I need for my video appointment?

• You will need a device (laptop / computer / tablet or a smartphone) with a web camera, speakers, and microphone.
• You will need a web-browser (e.g., Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Safari, Firefox etc).
• You will need a good connection to the internet. We recommend connecting to your Wi-Fi. If you do not have access to a Wi-Fi connection, you can use your mobile internet data.
• MS Teams itself is free to use, however it requires an Internet connection. A video call on Microsoft Teams will use a similar amount of data as Skype® or FaceTime®.
• Please choose a well-lit, quiet, and private area for your appointment.

How to access my video appointment?

There are two ways to access your video appointment, which depends on whether you have signed up for MyFrimleyHealth Record. If you are signed up, you can view all your upcoming appointments and will find the ‘join in’ button to connect you with your clinician at the time of your video appointment.

However, you can still access your appointment if you don’t have a MyFrimleyHealth Record account, as a link to connect to your video appointment will be sent to your registered mobile on the day of the appointment. Once clicking on the link, you can follow the instructions and that will allow you to join your video appointment at the time allocated.  

What is MyFrimleyHealth Record?

MyFrimleyHealth Record offers personalised and secure online access to your medical details. It enables you to manage and receive information about your health. Furthermore, it allows you to access your video appointment via Microsoft Teams

If you don’t have a MyFrimleyHealth account yet, you can create one. Once you have been invited for a video appointment you should already have received a text message or email from us containing an activation link to enable you to sign up to your MyFrimleyHealth Record. If, however you do not have an activation link, you can request one at https://myfrimleyhealthrecord.fhft.nhs.uk/MyChart/Authentication/Login? or alternatively you can also contact us via email at fhft.myfrimleyhealthrecord@nhs.net.

For further information visit MyFrimleyHealth Record Frequently asked questions.

What do I need for my appointment?

This may be the first time you attend a video clinic; therefore, we would recommend setting up your technology in advance or simply go through the below paragraphs prior to your appointment.

Should you wish to test your video call settings, you could do this at any time before your video visit on the device that you are planning on using by clicking on the testing my video call link.

Please feel free to write down any questions for your health care professional prior to your appointment. We support the ‘Ask 3 Question’ campaign. Read more about it on our website: shared decision making - Ask 3 questions

If joining via MyFrimleyHealth Record, there is a pre-questionnaire specific to your appointment and an opportunity for you to share your most up to date medication list prior to clicking on the ‘join in’ button.

Please try to connect to your video call early. As you click on the link received or the ‘join in’ button on your MyFrimleyHealth Record, you will see Microsoft Team open in a new window and that you have been placed in a virtual lobby / waiting area. The clinician will join you as soon as possible, however we do appreciate your patience should the clinician be running late.

What if I cannot attend my video call?

We would kindly ask you to inform us as soon as possible via the number stated on your appointment letter, so your video appointment can be offered to another patient.

What to do if I experience technical issues?

If you are unable to connect to your video call, please call via the number stated on your appointment letter as soon as possible and the team may be able to provide you some support or arrange the clinician to call you on the number we have on your record instead.

What if I am disconnected during the appointment?

If your call gets disconnected at any point during your appointment, please try to re-join your video call by clicking on your video appointment button or link again. If this does not work, your clinician will call you on the number we have on your patient record, to minimise any further disruption. Therefore, it is important we have the most up to date contact details for you and that you also let your GP practice know if your details have changed.

Accessibility

If you have any accessibility request, please inform the team on the number provided on your appointment letter, so we can make all reasonable adjustment to ensure you have a good experience. Our translation and interpreting services generally can be pre-booked within a couple of working days prior to your appointment; however, we would recommend you contact the team as soon as possible if you need this service.  

Privacy

Your video appointment is private and confidential just like your face-to-face appointment is. We would kindly ask you not to record your video consultation or take a screenshot during your appointment; sharing any recording on social media or other public domains is illegal.