Video appointments
An easier way to have your appointment
Video appointments (also sometimes referred to as 'video consultations') are an easy way for you to have your appointment with the care team, without the need for you to travel to the hospital.
This can save you time, money, and the difficulty of getting to the hospital. We've partnered with DrDoctor to provide this service to you. If you're booked a video appointment, we will send you a text message or email with the URL link to join your video appointment a few hours before your appointment, all you need to do is click this to join your video appointment.
Have you received a text from us?
If you’ve received a text from 07860 039 092, don’t worry—it is genuine! This message is to let you know that your previous video consultation link will no longer work.
We’re improving our video consultation system to make things smoother for you. A new link will be sent to you closer to your appointment date, so please wait for that before joining your consultation.
If you have any questions or need help, our friendly support team is here for you. Just drop us an email.
Thank you for your patience — we’re making these updates to give you a better experience!
Joining a video appointment
Step 1: Appointment notification
You will receive an appointment notification by text or email.
Your text message or email notification will tell you that your appointment will be a video appointment. It will also state the date and time of your appointment. Click the link on your text message or email to login to your patient portal on DrDoctor website and view information about your appointment.
Step 2: Check you have what you will need for your video appointment
For the appointment, you will need:
- a smartphone, tablet or computer with a camera and speaker (these are often built into your device, but cameras and microphones/headphones that plug into your device or computer can also be used). We recommend using a laptop or desktop computer for the best experience
- a good connection to the Internet. We recommend using Wi-Fi where possible which may have a better connection and will not use up your mobile data allowance
- a quiet, well-lit room where you will not be disturbed
- If you are by a bright light, like a window, sit so the light is on your face, and not behind you
- Using headphones will make it easier to hear your clinician and will help to cancel out any background noise
- a table or surface to prop your device on, so your camera stays steady during the call
Please note : DrDoctor video does not work in Internet Explorer 11 , and you will have to use another browser such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Microsoft Edge.
Step 3: Text reminder
We will send you a text message reminder one to two hours before your appointment with a secure link to your video appointment.
Step 4: Join your video appointment
Click the secure link a few minutes before your appointment to launch your private video appointment waiting room.
We recommend that you join a few minutes before so you can test your audio and video before your clinician joins.
Step 5: Wait for clinician to join
Please wait for your clinician to join you in the video appointment room.
Occasionally there might be a short delay, and your appointment might not run at the planned time. This might be because the clinician needs to spend a little longer with another patient. If this happens, the clinician will try to let you know as soon as possible (this may be through a pop-up chat message while you are in the waiting room. If there are significant delays, we will contact you by telephone). You will see a 'You are in the waiting room' message when you are in the waiting room.
If you have any issues
If there are any problems with the video platform your clinician will contact you b y telephone. Please ensure you have provided us with your number so we can contact you if we need to.
Frequently asked questions
How can I get to my video consultation from a computer or tablet?
Option 1: Sign into the patient portal on your computer
- drdoctor.thirdparty.nhs/BH
- Enter your last name, date of birth and postcode
- Choose the phone number where you would like to receive your one-time code
- Enter your one-time code into the portal
- Choose the ‘Appointments’ tab and select the appointment you want to join
- Click the "Join video room" button
- You are now in your video consultation, please wait here for your Clinician to join
Option 2: Copy and paste the link in your text message
As an alternative, you can copy-and-paste the video link from your text message into an email and send it to yourself. Open the email on the other computer and the link will still work. This may be quicker and easier if you are familiar with copy-and-pasting links.
My camera and microphone aren’t working?
Step 1: Check the onscreen button to see if your camera and microphone are turned on
If you are muted and your camera is off, the camera and microphone button will be red. Click the icons to turn your camera and video on.
Step 2: Update your browser
Check if your browser is up to date. The two most recent versions of the browsers are supported. Video consultations work best when using Chrome, Firefox Opera and Microsoft Edge. Internet explorer is not supported. These links can walk you through updating your browser:
- Google Chrome
- Mozilla Firefox
- Opera
- Microsoft Edge – This browser is updated automatically when you update Windows
Step 3: Check if you’ve accidentally blocked permissions
When you first join your video consultation, we ask permission to access your camera and microphone. If you chose “Block” instead of “Allow” this will be stopping your audio and video from working.
In this case, refresh the page and follow the instructions which appear on screen, choosing “Allow” when prompted.
You can click the camera icon in the URL bar. Depending on your browser the camera icon may be on the left or right of the bar. Choose “Allow” and then try again. You may need to refresh your page.
Step 4: Check the microphone and camera settings on your computer
Go to your computer settings page and check that your browser is allowed access to your Camera and Microphone. Check the tick boxes next to your browser and refresh the video consultation URL. For more details on how to do this:
- MacOS, repeat for Camera
- Windows, repeat for Camera
If you cannot get your camera and microphone to work your clinician will phone you on your mobile number.
I have poor video/audio quality
Poor WIFI connections often cause quality and connectivity problems with video consultations. Follow the steps below to try and improve your connection.
Please do not try and have your video consultation on the move. The quality of the video will probably be poor, or the call will break up completely. Walking to work, on the bus or in a car are all bad places to have a video consultation.
Step 1: Move closer to your router, and ask other people to stop using the WIFI temporarily
Your internet connection can be influenced by other people using the bandwidth (e.g streaming shows or making other video calls).
Try moving closer to the Wi-Fi router or asking other users to temporarily stop using the bandwidth.
Step 2: Check your internet speed
You can check your internet speed online using www.speedtest.net.
- One on one consultations require at least 2.0 Mbps upload, 2.5Mbps download speeds, and a Ping score of less than 100 ms
- Four or more participants in a consultation require at least 3.2 Mbps upload, 3.2 Mbps download speeds, and a Ping score of less than 100 ms
Step 3: VPNs and Firewalls
If your internet bandwidth is good, it could be an issue with a VPN or a firewall. If you are using a VPN, please disable it. For video consultations to work with firewalls, port 443 will need to open to all TCP and UDP traffic.
Will video consultations work on my phone, tablet, or computer?
Video consultations are compatible with most devices. However, they may not work with some older devices.
- Windows: Windows 7 and later
- Mac: MacOS 10.10 and later
- Linux: Any x64 based system
- iPhone and iPad:
- For Safari – iOS version 13.1 and later
- For Chrome – iOS 14.5 and later
Can I invite a family member or carer into the video consultation?
If you would like a family member or carer who you do not live with to join your video consultation, you can forward your text message or email notification containing the joining link to them. You can also copy this link into an email and send it across. This will allow them to join the video consultation with you.
Although the link you receive is private to your video consultation, you are able to share it with family members or friends if you would like them to join the call.
I cannot login to the patient portal with my details
To access the online portal, we need your correct details on our system. Please contact the phone number on your appointment letter and check we have your correct:
- Full name
- Date of Birth
- Postcode
- Mobile phone number
What is DrDoctor?
We use DrDoctor as a technology partner to deliver messages and services to you about your appointments and your care and treatment. DrDoctor is a digital health company modernising how hospitals and patients communicate. They provide a convenient way for patients to manage appointments while reducing costs, saving time, and developing better overall experiences for patients.
You can rest assured that if you receive a text message with a link from DrDoctor then this is from us.
How is my data handled?
To enable us to deliver this service, we give DrDoctor only enough information to provide you with these services.
DrDoctor is accredited to the highest standards set by the NHS for protecting the healthcare information of UK citizens as certified here: https://www.dsptoolkit.nhs.uk/OrganisationSearch/8HY91. For more information on DrDoctor’s privacy policy please see https://my.drdoctor.co.uk/privacy.
Your appointment will not be recorded. If you use the chat message function whilst in your call this will not be recorded or stored.
Will my appointment be recorded?
No, your appointment will not be recorded. If you use the chat message function whilst in your call this will not be recorded or stored.
If you would like to record the video call with a separate device you will need to discuss this with your clinician at the start of the appointment.
How do I opt out?
Any patients who would like to opt out of using the DrDoctor portal can do so by texting STOP to text messages they receive, by logging into the portal and opting out via the settings, or by contacting the Trust’s Booking team using details on appointment letters.
We will maintain a record of patients who have chosen to opt out. Their information will no longer be passed to DrDoctor. Please note that if patients opt out of the DrDoctor service they will not be able to have video appointments with the Trust.
Why does my screen look smaller when joining from a mobile device?
If you’re joining your video call from a mobile device you may notice that your camera screen tile appears smaller. If you switch your auto-rotate to off and turn your camera horizontally this will enlarge the tile.
Is video consultation guidance available in other languages?
Translations of the NHS quick guide for patients on video consulting are available to download in Arabic, Bengali, Bulgarian, Italian, Polish, Punjabi, Romanian and Urdu from the NHS England website.