We understand that many of you will have concerns about the outbreak of Covid19 and we want to reassure you we are doing all we can to continue to work normally. Despite the ongoing pandemic, we are aware that dermatological conditions will still occur and will still need treatment. In response to this, Stratum Dermatology Clinics are offering virtual consultations for patients who do not wish to attend the clinic in person but who still need their condition assessed.
HOW DO VIDEO CONSULATIONS WORK?
To book a virtual appointment, you will need to follow the usual booking method. Please fill in our enquiry form, call us on 01227 472288 or email reception@skinandlaser.co.uk. You will receive a phone call from one of our friendly team who will book your appointment at a time to suit you. You will then receive an email which will confirm your appointment time, give you some additional information and contain the link you need to join the virtual consultation.
The virtual consultation will be held through a video conferencing platform which you can access through your computer, tablet or mobile phone. Five minutes before your scheduled appointment time, all you need to do is click on the link in your email, which will open up a browser. You will be held in a virtual waiting room until your doctor begins the consultation. Your doctor will need to verify your identity at the beginning of the consultation, so please have your Patient ID hand to help with this process. You will also be asked to show ID, preferably picture ID such as your passport or driving licence. At the end of your appointment, your consultant will talk you through the next steps.
Your virtual consultation will be completely confidential and will not be recorded by either the Doctor or by the video conferencing platform. No personal details will be stored on the platform and you don’t need to create an account to access the appointment, simply click on the link. Your consultant dermatologist will be in a private room and please ensure that you have a suitable place to join your appointment where you can talk confidentially to your consultant.
The virtual consultations can be self funded or paid for using a medical insurance policy. Canterbury Skin and Laser Clinic and the Consultants who work here are recognised by the main healthcare insurance providers. If your patient plans on using their medical insurance policy, we ask that they provide us with their Insurance Membership Policy number and Authorisation Code prior to the appointment.
REQUEST A CALL BACK
To book an appointment please fill in this form and one of our team will give you a call back. If you are looking to change an appointment or have any questions around an existing booking, please give us a call.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT SOFTWARE WILL I NEED TO USE TO ATTEND TO MY VIDEO APPOINTMENT?
You will not need to download any software or sign up to any accounts to attend your consultation. You just need internet connection and a phone, tablet or computer.
HOW SECURE IS THE VIDEO LINK?
Video communications are established using 256-bit TLS encryption – you can visit Zoom Security for more information.
DO I NEED A LOGIN CODE TO ACCESS MY APPOINTMENT?
No, accessing your video consultation is easy. If you are using your computer, you can simply click on the link provided in your appointment confirmation email and click ‘Join from my browser’. If you are planning to use your smart phone to access the appointment, we recommend that you download the Zoom App from your usual App Store in advance of the appointment to ensure you can join quickly and easily at the time of your appointment. For further guidance, please read the Zoom Instructions for Patients.
IS MY VIDEO CONSULTATION CONFIDENTIAL?
Yes, your doctor will be the only other participant unless you have requested a chaperone. There is no risk of having another patient join your appointment while you are still talking to the doctor. All appointments have a unique ID and password which is automatically embedded into the link provided to you, making joining as simple as clicking on the link.
HOW DO I PREPARE FOR MY APPOINTMENT?
Prior to your appointment, please ensure you do the following:
- Share high-resolution image(s) of your condition in advance of your appointment. Please email these to the clinic email address specified in your appointment confirmation email
- Send photo ID, such as passport or driving license, to the same clinic email address specified in your appointment confirmation email. This can be a photograph taken with your smart phone or a scanned image. Please also have the same ID available to show your Consultant at the start of your appointment
- Complete the Patient Registration & Medical History Questionnaire – the link to this can be found in your appointment confirmation email. It is important that your Doctor has a chance to review this information in advance of your appointment so please try to complete it 24 hours in advance if possible – without it your Virtual Consultation may be terminated without refund.
- Ensure you you have a quiet place to join your virtual consultation where you can talk confidentially to your consultant without being disturbed and have a good connection and your phone is available (on the number you provided at booking) just in case the video does not work
HOW DO I SEND IMAGES OF MY CONDITION TO THE DOCTOR?
Please take clear, in-focus, close up images of your condition, using your smart phone camera (or other device). For a guide on how to take photos ahead of your video appointment, please click here. Then send these via email directly to the clinic using the email address provided in your appointment confirmation. Please include your Patient ID in the subject line of the email – this can also be found on your confirmation email.
DO I NEED ANY SPECIAL EQUIPMENT TO BE ABLE TO ATTEND MY VIRTUAL CONSULTATION?
You will require a computer or device such as a smart phone or tablet with audio and video capabilities and we recommend connecting via a secure WiFi connection.
HOW WILL THE APPOINTMENT START?
Once you click the meeting link you will be directed to a virtual waiting room where you will be asked to wait until your host starts the meeting. At the time of your appointment, the Doctor will ‘admit’ you into the appointment. Your audio and camera should automatically be enabled but if you need to enable them this is a simple process using buttons available on screen.
WHAT ACCESSIBILITY FEATURES ARE AVAILABLE?
There are a number of features offered to support accessibility – to see what is available to you please visit https://zoom.us/accessibility
WHAT DO I DO IF MY APPOINTMENT IS RUNNING LATE?
Your doctor will endeavour to start the Virtual Consultation as near to the scheduled time as possible, however, if a previous appointment is running over, then you can simply stay online in the “waiting room” until you are admitted.
WHAT DO I DO IF I AM HAVING CONNECTION ISSUES?
If you are experiencing any issue(s) with latency, frozen screen, poor quality audio, or meeting getting disconnected, try bringing your computer or mobile device closer to the WiFi router or access point in your home or office. You can also check your Internet bandwidth in advance using an online speed test, such as nperf, Speedtest, or Comparitech.
I USUALLY REQUEST A CHAPERONE FOR MY APPOINTMENTS – IS THIS SERVICE STILL AVAILABLE?
Yes – if you wish a Chaperone to be present, please advise the doctor and we will arrange for a chaperone to join the consultation. This will either be in person if available at the same location as the doctor, or by joining the video call.
HOW DO I CANCEL MY APPOINTMENT?
If you do need to cancel, a minimum of 24 hours’ notice of cancellation or appointment re-scheduling is required. Please call the number provided in your appointment confirmation email. If leaving a message on our answer phone, please clearly mention your name, as well as date and time of the phone call. Any appointments for consultations, which are not attended, or are cancelled/re-scheduled with less than 24 hours’ notice, will incur a full charge.
WHAT HAPPENS IF I MISS MY APPOINTMENT?
If you miss your appointment, please call 0800 048 9230 to rearrange a more convenient time for your appointment, however, please be aware that unattended appointments will incur a full charge.
WHY ARE VIDEO CONSULTATIONS NOT AVAILABLE FOR CHILDREN UNDER AGE 16?
We are currently only offering consultations to patients of 16 years of age and over as they are able to consent to their consultation. We would like to expand the service to under 16s and the process for doing so is under review.
CAN ANYONE HAVE A VIDEO CONSULTATION?
Please be aware that whilst most conditions can be seen virtually there may be some conditions that require a face to face appointment further to the virtual appointment. You will be requested to send a high resolution image of your condition to the clinic ahead of the appointment to assist your Consultant with their diagnosis.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PATIENTS
USING YOUR PC
You do not need to download anything in advance of your appointment – you can simply click on the link provided in your confirmation email
- An option to Join from your Browser may appear automatically. If it does not, select download & run.
- The option Join from your Browser will appear.
- You will be prompted to enter your name.
- Click Join to be taken into the meeting
FOR YOUR MOBILE IOS OR ANDROID DEVICE:
- Go to your usual App Store
- Search “Zoom Cloud Meetings” & download
- You will need to accept a number of pop-ups and you can then click Join or click the original link in your email to join appointment at the scheduled time. You may be prompted to enter your Meeting ID which is provided in your appointment confirmation email.
TAKING PHOTOS AHEAD OF YOUR APPOINTMENT
For a guide on how to best take your photos ahead of your video consultation, please click here.
WHY CHOOSE CANTERBURY SKIN AND LASER CLINIC?
Here at Kent's leading private skin and laser clinic, our experts are specialists in all aspects of dermatology, skin cancer, anti-ageing and beauty treatments. We are one of the few skin clinics in the UK where all medical consultations and treatments are provided by specialist doctors with Dermatology experience and laser training.
Canterbury Skin and Laser Clinic is regulated by the Care Quality Commission, ensuring the best level of treatment is provided to you in a safe environment. Our Clinical Lead Dr Mark Hudson-Peacock is a member of the British Association of Dermatologists, the British Laser Medical Association, the British Hair and Nail Society, the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology and is certified by the Consulting Room. We have won many awards including the WhatClinic Patient Service Award in 2019 and the ghp Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Awards 2019.
CONTACT US
Address
26 Castle Street,
Canterbury,
Kent,
CT1 2PX
Opening Hours
Monday: 8:30am - 6:00pm
Tuesday: 8:30am - 5:00pm
Wednesday: 8:30am - 7:00pm
Thursday: 8:30am - 7:00pm
Friday: 8:30am - 5:00pm
Saturday: 8:30am - 5:00pm
Sunday: Closed
REQUEST A CALL BACK
If you are looking to arrange an appointment, please fill in this form and one of our team will give you a call back to arrange a consultation with one of our expert dermatologists. If you are looking to change an appointment or have any questions around an existing booking, please give us a call.
