Non Face-to-Face Appointments
What are non Face-to-face or virtual appointments?
These are appointments with your clinician done from a place of your choice, rather than coming up to the clinic.
You will receive the same quality of care as you would in a face-to-face appointment. Like a face-to-face clinic, the clinician will have your case notes available. They will have a private space to be able to conduct the conversation.
Like other appointments, there may be other people in the room, such as medical students, but you will be made aware of this at the time, and you have the choice not to have them present if you would prefer.
What types of non face-to-face or virtual appointments are there?
Non face-to-face appointments can happen in different ways:
Video
You may be offered a video appointment. You will be sent all the information to log on to the appointment on your phone or computer where you will join a virtual waiting room until your clinician is available to see you.
If there is a problem with the connection, it is likely that the clinician will try to contact you on your preferred telephone number, but the preference would be that the consultation would be conducted by video.
Sometimes it is possible to invite another health care professional or someone you need to support you into a video consultation.
Phone
Another type of virtual appointment is a timed phone appointment. Like the video appointment the clinician will have all your medical information in front of them and will ring you to discuss your condition.
Sometimes the clinician may review your condition and results without a fixed appointment but will write to you with a plan. Often if you have a chronic condition or a cancer in remission, this is a way to ensure your condition is being monitored without having to have an appointment.
Like a normal clinic, after a virtual appointment you will be offered a copy of the letter to your GP or a letter to yourself (copied into your GP) to detail what was discussed at the appointment. It is highly likely that the clinic appointment would be the same length whether face to face or virtual.
When might I be offered a non face-to-face appointment?
These appointments may be offered if you don’t need an examination or a procedure and the clinician feels your case may be suitable.
If you haven’t been offered a non face-to-face appointment, you can ask if this might be suitable in your case.
You can choose not to have a virtual appointment, but this may mean the appointment needs to be rearranged as the clinic may not be in a space that is suitable for a face-to-face appointment.
What are the benefits to the non face-to-face appointments?
One of the common stresses of attending an outpatient clinic is the problems finding a space to park and the expense of travel.
A virtual appointment allows flexibility to do the appointment from a place that suits you and is less disruptive to your day.
It also has a significant environmental impact by not having to travel to your appointment.
Finally, it reduces the risk of being exposed to infections, but it also helps those patients who need to come into the clinic to maintain social distancing.
How do I prepare for a non face-to-face appointment?
- This appointment will be the same as a face-to-face clinic.
- You will be given an appointment time and the clinician will try to contact you as close to this time as possible.
- It is important that you find a private and quiet space and that you are able to stop what you are doing to focus on the appointment.
- It is helpful to the clinician to know if there is anyone in the room with you if they are not visible or audible.
- Make sure the video and microphone work on your device.
- If on a video link and it fails or the connection is poor, it is very likely that the clinician will try to contact you by telephone, so please make sure all your details are up to date at the hospital. The hospital and GP records are not usually linked, so you need to update both separately.
- Have a list of your medication ready in case it is helpful.
- If you have home measurements such as blood pressures or weight it can be helpful for the doctor to know these. The clinician should have a copy of the results of your investigations, if you live in the area of the hospital, but if you have had tests elsewhere and have a copy of those results, it is helpful if you can send a copy or have them available for an appointment.
How much does a video call cost?
We recommend that smart phone and tablet users connect to a Wi-Fi to avoid mobile data charges.
Further information
Links for your hospital and further information about virtual appointments are found below:
North & East Devon – Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
West Devon – University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
South Devon – Torbay and South Devon NHS Trust