Articles on: Video Consultations

Video Consultations - A guide for clients

This guide shows what to expect from a video consultation as a client. If you're a clinician, feel free to share this guide with your clients before their video consultation! You could even add it as a link to your confirmation and reminder messages!

If you're a patient, before we get started, you will need a device with a webcam to be able to attend a video consultation. It can be any device with both an internet connection and a webcam, like a laptop, PC, tablet or even a mobile phone. You'll access the video consultation via your internet browser, like Safari or Chrome.

You can find more information on the browser requirements for video consultation here.

The most important things to note are:
If you're using Microsoft Edge, make sure you're on version 81 or later
If you're using an iPhone or iPad, you'll need to use Safari. You can't use the Chrome or Firefox apps on iOS
Video consultations are not supported on Internet Explorer
You'll need to make sure you're using an up to date version of your chosen browser.

You'll also need a stable internet connection, we'd recommend a speed of more than 10mbps for the best possible experience. An internet speed of less than 10mbps might lead to poor quality video and sound during your consultation.

How do I join my video consultation?



To allow you to join your video consultation, your clinician will have provided you with a secure access link, most likely within an email or a text message. A few minutes before the scheduled time, just click on the link and you'll be taken directly to the online "room" to wait for your clinician to initiate the session.

You might see the link appear like this:



or like this:



Either way, once you click on the link, you'll be taken to a waiting room where you'll see information on the scheduled appointment and be able to signal to the clinician that you are ready to begin by clicking on I'm ready:



Your online room is only available 5 minutes prior to the scheduled appointment start time.

If you click on the link to access your video consultation and you see a screen like this, you'll also need to enter an access code to join your video consultation:



This will be sent to your mobile phone when you click on the link and should then be entered into the field on screen. Once you click on Verify access code, you'll be taken to the waiting room to wait for your clinician to start the call.

Once the clinician starts the call, you will need to allow access to your microphone and camera. Without this access, the clinician won't be able to see or hear you. You'll see a pop up on your screen asking for access when the call is started. The exact message you see will depend on the device and browser you are using but some common examples are:

Safari on iPhone:



Chrome:



Safari:



If you accidentally deny access, you'll need to find the relevant settings in your browser and change the permissions to allow access to both your camera and microphone. Some browsers, like Chrome, will display an icon indicating that access has been denied:



Clicking on this will allow you to change the permissions and proceed with the call:



For any other browsers, there's usually something in settings or permissions to control this and again a quick Google search should lead you in the right direction.

Once you're ready to being, please click on 'I'm Ready' and your clinician will be notified!



During the consultation



Once the clinician has started the call, you'll see the appointment details and your own video feed near to the top of your screen, with a few controls at the bottom (the placeholder here in the centre of the screen will be replaced with your clinicians video feed once the connection has been made!):




These controls are:
An audio control icon which allows you to mute and unmute your microphone if you need to
A video control icon which allows you to turn off your video feed, and turn it back on again
An end call button, allowing you to request that the consultation come to an end

The placement of these icons will depend on the screen size of the device you are using but will always be placed around the edge of your video screen.

If either your microphone or camera has been manually turned off, you'll see this by way of a line running through them. To turn them back on, just click on them again:


As you can see, you do have the ability to end the call, however, the clinician will be asked to confirm this. Due to the nature of the connection, once the call has been ended, it can't be reconnected. If you choose to end the call, you'll see these options:



If you're experiencing issues with the connection, it's always worth trying to refresh the page, rather than ending it. If you choose to end the call and the clinician confirms this, your consultation will be concluded and you'll see a screen like the below where the number displayed is the contact phone number for the clinic:



As each link is a secure one-time link specific to one appointment only, if you have multiple video consultations with a clinician, you'll be provided with a different link for each one. You won't be able to use an old link for a new appointment. If you click on a link and you see the below message, check that you have used the link relating to the appointment you're trying to access, as this indicates that the appointment is already past:





Don't worry! If you realise in the run up to your appointment that you can't find the email or SMS containing the access link, simply contact the clinic you're due to attend (remotely!) and ask them to resend it to you. They'll be able to find it and drop it over to you by your chosen delivery method so you can access your session.

Much as we'd love to help, the team here at WriteUpp can't help you with misplaced access links. For your and their security, the only person who can provide this to you is your clinician

Updated on: 30/08/2022

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