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Frequently Asked Question Video Consultation App

About the app

  1. Online at app.countymedical.co.uk or via our website countymedical.co.uk and pressing the relevant link
  2. By downloading mobile app via App store or Google play – this is for patients only.
  1. No, down loading, accessing and browsing the app is free, but if you choose to consult a doctor this may incur costs which are advertised.
  1. Currently adults above 18 years of age who are comfortable using video consultation technology independently and agrees to our terms and conditions can use our app.
  1. For patients our app has web, android and IOS platforms with the following requirements:
    1. Web browser – Chrome, Firefox, Safari & Edge
    2. IPhone – IOS version 17 and above
    3. Android – version 14 and above
    4. WIFI- Bandwidth 8+ mbps
    5. Mobile 4G+

How to sign up and create a profile

  1. If accessing the app via the web you will need to choose the profile relevant to you, eg patient, doctor or secretary. Mobile apps are patients specific.
  2. If you have not signed up before you will need to do this by pressing the relevant icon and entering your details.
  3. You will also need to read and agree to our policies, terms and conditions.
  4. You will need to create a password. This has to be 10 characters long and must include an upper and lower case alphabet, a number and a symbol. 
  5. You will then be sent an authorization code via SMS to your mobile phone which you will need to entre to access your profile.
  6. If you have previously signed up then you will need to login by entering your email and password, then the authorization code to enter the site.
  1. Once you have entered your app page you will need to complete your profile by clicking on the profile icon, on the web it is top right, and entering your details. This includes your personal information, your medical information and your contact details. You can change any details from here. You are not required to complete all the field but this may impact on the level of support you receive – please read our terms and conditions. 
  1. For a prescription to be emailed to a pharmacy you will need to enter the pharmacy details including their email address in your medical profile.
  2. Currently we are using our own online pharmacy provider, for this purpose. These details are on the app under default pharmacy in the pharmacy section. Our pharmacy will contact you directly and arrange to post your medicine to you. Please note this will be a private prescription and a cost is attached which the pharmacy will notify you off.
  3. If your local pharmacy is happy to enter into an agreement with us, please let us know and we will discuss with them and then put them on our database. If you prefer, we can post your prescription.
  1. If you plan to use the self-pay option you will need to enter your bank card details in the account section of your profile, before making an appointment. For payments we use the Stripe API and we don’t not store any of your card details on our site.
  2. The price the doctor charges is advertised on their profile
  3. Payments will only be taken after your appointment is confirmed
  4. You can keep track of all payments you have made in your account section and you will receive an automatic invoice which will be emailed to you. Please check you junk folder if you have not received it. 
  5. If there are any issues, please contact us via ………
  6. For other payment options see point 22 below –  How do I make an appointment.
  1. No you don’t need to fill all the fields but the support we will be able to offer you will depend on the information we have and some doctors may decline to accept a consultation request if these fields are not filled. Registration details are essential to access the app
  2. The form to request an appointment with a consultant has mandatory field that all require filling. See section how to make an appointment
  1. We do allow you the option to hide you details on your profile BUT if you use this option then the doctor will not be able to see them and may not be able to prescribe medicines for you and the advise you get may be limited.
  2. You can check which of your details are visible on your profile by pressing the view public profile.
  1. No it is only visible to those doctors you request an appointment with
  1. Patients do not need to enter identification documents
  2. Doctors may however ask you to show them identifications if you need certain prescriptions and you are unknown to them as this is a requirement of the regulators
  1. Currently our SMS alerts are configured to only contact UK numbers
  1. If you live in the UK this is preferred, otherwise the support we can offer maybe affected.
  2. Please entre your GPs details in the medical section of your profile
  1. Please read our privacy policy
  2. You can request deletion of your account via the deactivation button on your profile. This will suspend your account and after a period we will delete your account but we may need to keep certain details for legal or regulator reasons as per our privacy policy.
  3. Your doctor may keep copies of your clinical details separately for regulatory purpose
  1. If using a mobile device you will need to give the app permission to access your  microphone and camera. In some devices the prompt will be made automatically in other you may need to do so via the security/permission section in the settings
  2. If using a computer, you will need to allow pop windows in your browser and ensure your browser has permission to access the camera and microphone on your devise.
  3. The permission to access location is needed only if you are going to use the google map facility to locate a doctor in your vicinity.

About Medical consultations

  1. Online medical consultations are now well established both in the NHS and the private sector. Benefits include:
    1. You can access more flexible appointment timings
    2. You can access the consultation from the comfort of your own environment; avoiding travelling, waiting and anxiety associated with being in a hospital environment.
    3. You can have a discussion with your doctor before a formal consultation and before incurring any significant expenses to see if you are satisfied with the doctor and whether a formal visit is required.
    4. You can be guided as to where to have investigations if required
    5. You avoid long waits for appointments
    6. You may avoid multiple visit
  1. Not always, in many cases diagnosis can be made on the history alone or by looking at you on the video.
  2. In other cases investigations maybe required to confirm the diagnosis and this would entail a separate visit, an initial video consultation would thus avoid the need for multiple physical visits.
  3. Should you require a physical examinations the doctor will arrange for this at a letter appointment with you during the video consultation.
  1. We do not employ our own doctors and are open to all qualifying doctors participating on our platform provided they meet our requirements.
  2. We do thoroughly vet our doctors to ensure they are of the high standard required from medical regulators for independent medical practice. All are required to be on the specialist register with a license to practice, or the performer list for GPs or are registered with or exempt from registration with the CQC and hold or have held an NHS consultant posts or have established and regulated private practices. They have to practice within the guidelines set by the GMC and have to be registered or exempt from registration with the CQC.
  3. As part of our clinical governance process and in line with our privacy policy we do monitor and support the doctors on our platform to ensure they are consulting in line with the standards expected of them and within their area of specialty.
  4. We also allow associated medical professionals to practice on the app; such as dieticians and physiotherapists. These professionals need to demonstrate they meet our high practicing requirements. 
  1. In our app when you browse for doctor it allows you to do so using various filters these will help you narrow down your choice.
  2. Each doctor’s profile will additionally have information about them which may help you decide who you want to consult with, including links to their website if available.
  3. If you are still uncertain you can consult with your GP or use the private health information network (PHIN) to obtain further information.
  4. As an app we cannot make recommendations who you see but we do ensure all our doctors meet the regulatory requirements to practice in their defined fields.
  1. The doctor’s profile is completed by the doctor concerned if you need further information you can call their secretary or search on Private health information network (PHIN) or their website if available
  1. On the app press make a booking and search for the doctor of your choice using our filters
  2. Once you have selected the doctor press the make an appointment tab and a request form will open up which will ask you details of why you want to see the doctor and for you to select an appointment time.
  3. You will need to fill in all the fields, these are drop downs but some allow you to choose “other” option and manually entre the information
  4. If you can’t find the correct drop down option entre not available or other and upload an attachment with the details
  5. At the end you can also attach any additional information such as a GP letter or results that may help the doctor decide if it is appropriate for them to consult with you
  6. You will be asked to choose an appointment slot.
  7. You will then be asked how you will be funding the appointment – there are three options: self-pay (including discount arrangements), insured and pre-agreed non charged doctor appointment (the last option would have been agreed by the doctor beforehand).
  8. If this is via an insurance policy then please click on the relevant section and entre the details. You should have cleared this with your insurer. if you don’t have all the details enter as much as you can.
  9. If you are self funding for the appointment please make sure you have registered your card in the account section(see section on entering your card detail in the section signup and create a profile above). If you are part of a discount scheme please enter the details (scheme name and code) otherwise leave as self funded.
  10. The request will be sent to your doctor who will then confirm your appointment and you will be notified. You can follow the progress of your request on your app.
  11. Please note you can only have one appointment with a particular doctor at any one time but you can have appointments with multiple doctors simultaneously.
  12. Once your appointment is accepted a chat facility will open up to allow you to upload further information that you were not able to provide or your doctor or their secretary may prompt you to do so.
  13. If your appointment is not accepted the doctor will notify you of the reason.
  14. At the appropriate time you will be able to have a consultation with your doctor
  1. Yes this will be shown in your app under the appointment section
  2. You will also be emailed a receipt if you have paid on line
  3. Your account in the app will show the deduction of the agreed amount
  1. At the appropriate time your doctor will contact you and your app will notify you. When you accept, the call will take place. You have to be on the app to receive the call.
  2. If you are using a web app you will need to allow pop ups as the call will open in a separate window. You will need to give your web browser access to the camera and microphone via the security setup on the computer.
  3. You are not able to call the doctor yourself 
  4. If the call is interrupted or does not go through, refresh the browser and wait for the doctor to call you again. It usually takes a minimum of thirty seconds to call back
  5. If the call is delayed you can use the chat to ask for the cause of delay
  6. You need to be logged into the app to receive a call
  1. Some times due to unforeseen reasons an appointment may not take place
  2. You can contact the doctor or their secretary via the chat facility to inquire for the reason
  3. The appointment can be rescheduled or if you prefer we will be able to refund you if a payment was made. See our terms and condition and our procedure to get a refund
  1. Our app has the facility to record the consultation but this has to be determined before the call begins.
  2. If you want your consultation to be recorded let you doctor know before the consultation starts by stating this in the chat window
  3. Your recordings maybe to deleted after a period please refer to our privacy policy
  4. There will be occasions when the  recording facilities are switched off
  1. Yes, this will be available on your profile if you requested a recorded consultation
  1. If you requested a copy of your reports these should be forwarded to you by laboratory or via your doctor
  1. The tests can be arranged via the doctor’s secretary, or by yourself directly, with the diagnostic facility on presentation of the doctor’s request. The results are normally forwarded to your doctor for communication with yourself. This is done off line
  1. This depends on the test and facility, you will be informed prior to the test being performed
  1. Currently not, unless your consultation is pending, 
  1. This will be signed on line and can be emailed to the designated pharmacy you have chosen. If no pharmacy is chosen then your doctor can post the prescription to you. A copy of any online issued prescription will be added to your profile. This copy cannot be used dispensed at a pharmacy. Please refer to section on pharmacy above. We are currently working with our own online pharmacy.
  1. Yes this will be sent to you and will show on your profile at the end of the consultation.
  1. Yes but this has to be arranged by yourself from the selection of doctors available on line or if you wish to see some not available on the app, your doctor can write a referral for you.
  1. If this is after a video consultation the doctor will advise you accordingly and make arrangements
  2. If you don’t want to use the video consultation facility you can call the doctor’s office and make an appointment for face to face consultation
  1. Unfortunately we can only support you accessing doctors on our list. If you want to see someone not on our list you will need to make this arrangement independently.
  1. We apologies if you can’t access a doctor near where you live we are working to expand our coverage
  1. There are a number of reasons a doctor may reject your request, these maybe; incomplete medical information, doctor not available, wrong specialty.
  2. When rejecting an appointment, the doctor will give a reason which should be visible to you on the appointment section
  3. If you are unsure please call the doctors office on the number provided to confirm the reason
  1. Yes the app facilitates these requests. The doctor can also request to reschedule an appointment and if so a request will be sent to you for approval
  1. Yes you can, the app allows this. If you have already been charged and do not wish to reschedule you will need to contact us for a refund – please read our terms and conditions regarding cancellation
  1. Our appointments are based on the time slots made available by the doctor but are not automatically terminated this has to be done manually. If you need a longer appointment call and discuss with the doctor’s secretary before hand
  1. Please call them on the office number or via chat
  1. Yes you can at the end of the consultation
  1. Please call and discuss with the doctor’s secretary
  1. Please call and discuss with the doctor’s secretary
  1. See our terms & conditions
  1. Safety is paramount for us. We need to make sure any treatment we prescribe for you can be managed safely from a distance and are in line with the requirements of our regulators.
  2. As such we do not routinely prescribe medicines that are liable to be abused, require close monitoring, need additional tests prior to prescription or are experimental.
  3. If you are a known patient of a doctor, they can prescribe some of these medicines at their discretion.
  1. As a remotely delivered service we are not in a position to support you in case of an emergency. Please refer to your GP, 911 or 999 as appropriate or attend you local hospital A&E department
  1. The doctor’s profile will mention any links they may have but check with you insurance company before making any appointment.
  1. This is because we are expanding and developing our service and that selection criteria has not been brought on line as yet
  1. In the UK it is considered best practice that every person is registered with a GP and to ensure joined up care that the GP is kept informed of any changes to their patient’s clinical management.
  2. You are within your rights to request not to share information with your GP but this may affect what treatment or advise your consultant is will to provide
  1. The app will detail outcomes of the consultation and email this to your GP a copy will be on the app. A more comprehensive letter maybe posted to you later.
  1. Yes these can be uploaded at the time of making the appointment request using the appropriate button or afterwards via the chat facility once the appointment has be accepted.
  1. We are not able to support you in the event of an emergency. Please contact you GP, call 911, 999 or visit your local hospital
  1. Please advise the doctor or their secretary to amend this information. Please note for medico legal reasons we may not allow deletion of the document but a correct version will be added or posted to you.
  1. Yes as long as your appointment is current but not after it is ended

Technical problems

  1. You need to ensure you have good WIFI connection and can receive SMS messages
  2. Ensure that your mobile phone has given permission for the app to access your devices camera and microphone, the app should automatically ask for this but do check. If necessary, go to your settings and then to security to allow this. If you are going to use geolocation facility on the app this should also be enabled
  3. When using a browser such as on you computer the browser needs to be given access to the computers microphone and camera. If necessary allow this via your settings.
  4. On web based devises ensure that any popup blocker is switched off. You call will automatically open in a new tab.
  1. Follow step above, if this does not work then
  2. Refresh or reload the app
  1. Wait sixty seconds then refresh the browser and call again
  1. Please follow the instruction on the app to reset
    1. Please ensure you have filled all the fields correctly and follow the in-app instructions.
    2. Payments are made through the Stripe API and you will be alerted once the card is approved
  1. If you can’t entre certain profile options choose the n/a or nearest options and alert the doctor of this issue via chat when your appointment is accepted

Medical Users press here for further advise and guidance