Virtual consultations
We have now resumed face-to-face patient care at the OrthTeam Centre, however our consultants will still be offering telephone and video appointments.
About virtual consultations
What is a virtual consultation?
A virtual consultation is a video or telephone appointment, which allows you to speak to a consultant without the need to travel to the OrthTeam Centre. You’ll have fast access to our medical specialists and have the opportunity to discuss your health concerns at your own convenience.
How long is a virtual consultation?
The length of virtual appointments with a consultant may vary, but they generally last up to 30 minutes.
Booking a virtual consultation
Whether you make a virtual or face-to-face appointment with us, you can be sure that you, or your loved one, will receive expert care from the start. A telephone or video appointment gives you the convenience and same fast access to our experts without having to travel to the OrthTeam Centre.
If you wish to book an appointment for someone under 18 please call the OrthTeam Centre to make the appointment.
Once you’ve booked your appointment we’ll send you a confirmation and details of how to join the video meeting and dial-in details for telephone appointments. If for any reason we feel that a virtual consultation would not be appropriate for your symptoms or concerns we will contact you to discuss this further and what other options are available.
Your consultant will write to you with the outcome of the consultation and details of any tests or follow up you might need.
If you need further tests, such as imaging, we’ll arrange these for you. You’ll need to visit the OrthTeam Centre for these appointments taking into consideration the latest advice from the UK government on coronavirus. Learn more
If you’re prescribed medication, your consultant will send this to you to take to a retail pharmacy. Certain medications may be issued by a Spire pharmacy and they’ll let you know when your medication is ready to pick up.
Using Zoom for your appointment
What is Zoom?
Zoom is a video conferencing service for hosting live virtual meetings. You can join a Zoom appointment by video, computer audio, or by telephone.
How do I access Zoom?
Zoom can be used from a computer, mobile or tablet. You don’t need a Zoom account to attend a virtual consultation.
The OrthTeam Centre will send you an invitation via email confirming your Zoom virtual appointment. The email will contain a link to join the consultation. You’ll need to click on the link and enter the meeting ID to join your consultation.
If you’re using a mobile or tablet device for your appointment, you’ll need to download the Zoom app from the App Store (iPhone/iPad users) or Play Store (Android users). Once the app is installed, you can then join your consultation by following the link in the email and entering the meeting ID.
View our guides to setting up and using Zoom on your PC or mobile devices:
Attending your virtual consultation
Once you’ve successfully downloaded Zoom (mobile and tablet devices) and are ready to proceed, you can click on the ‘Join meeting button’ in your invitation email and enter the meeting ID. This will bring you into a virtual waiting room where you can wait until your appointment time.
Your specialist will then begin the consultation.
Help and support
Check that the microphone and camera on your PC or device are set up before your appointment. You can find more information for these browsers:
If there are problems with your Internet connection, Zoom will attempt to reconnect you to the meeting when the connection is available.
You can join the Zoom meeting by phone if you’re unable to join by video. Dial-in details are listed in the appointment invitation.
Zoom has exploded in popularity as people turn to video conferencing amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. With this extra attention, Zoom is now facing a backlash from security experts, advocates and IT professionals warning that default settings are not secure enough.
The privacy of our patient data is paramount. The OrthTeam Centre has made changes in our corporate Zoom settings to ensure we keep our video conferencing secure. Our online consultations only use the video conferencing feature and we do not allow file sharing and in-conference chat. We use unique, strongly encrypted meeting codes for each meeting and our staff receive training on how to schedule and conduct meetings, including monitoring their attendees to ensure they know and validate who is attending.
We work closely with Zoom on its application roadmap and ongoing development to ensure the platform remains secure. When vulnerabilities are discovered, we promptly apply updates to our corporate environment. We’ll continue to review our use of Zoom, ensuring it meets our high expectations in terms of security and information privacy.
We explain how we’ll use your personal information during the pandemic.