Virtual Group Consultations

Video group clinics are a way for you to join people with similar health issues and spend more time with your specialist or community doctor, nurse or GP, getting your review and answers to your questions. You may also see specialist nurses and doctors, pharmacists, physiotherapists, dieticians, social prescribing link workers and health coaches in this way. NHS Wales is currently trialling this new remote way of offering you healthcare and welcome your feedback. 

People who have participated in group clinics say that they enjoy hearing the experiences and getting advice from other people in a similar situation. They also like having longer with the clinician to talk about their concerns and for questions. They enjoy sharing what has worked for them with others and hearing about others’ successes. They report feeling a sense of belonging and that they are no longer feel so alone in managing health conditions such as asthma, diabetes or depression. They also find it very convenient. They don’t need to worry about parking and travel if they have mobility issues or live in a remote area. They also find is easier to join from a place of their choice whether that is at home or elsewhere or if they have caring responsibilities. VGCs are a very engaging remote consultation model for people with a whole range of health care issues. They are not just a response to COVID-19. They are a real and better alternative for many people.

You will need an email account or mobile phone with internet access. You will need to join the video group clinics via the internet in a private room. You don’t need any special programme or phone applications. The clinic will send you a link. You click on it and access a video platforms like Microsoft Teams or Zoom. Then the video group clinic begins. 

Once you’ve clicked the link and joined, a member of the clinic team who is running the video group clinic will greet you. The facilitator’s job is to keep the group together and make sure the clinic stays on track. They will ask you to confirm your identity and check you are happy to take part. Then they will start the session by reminding everyone in the group to keep information confidential and to follow some simple group rules or understandings.

The facilitator explains how the session will flow and invites each member of the group to introduce themselves. Then there is time to review and understand the results you have agreed to share with the group, such as blood pressure, cholesterol or peak flow. Then you come up with questions for your clinician who joins the group after about 15 minutes. When the clinician joins, they discuss and answer common questions with the group. Then they have one to one consultations with each person. During this time everyone listens and people often join in, share ideas and problem-solve together.

The facilitator wraps up after 60-90 minutes and you get the chance to reflect on what you have learnt and maybe set goals for yourself.

You will never know until you give it a go! People tell us they really enjoy the experience. If you have any questions or concerns, talk to the clinic team or to your doctor or nurse to find out more. Video group clinics might not suit everyone. If you are feeling anxious beforehand, let the facilitator know. It is also OK to join a group and just listen and see if it is for you. Some people may even join in and decide to leave if it isn’t right for them. At any point you can leave a group and book a one to one appointment instead.

If you feel a group clinic isn’t working for you, let the facilitator know. You can leave at any time and book a one to one appointment instead. The team asks for feedback at the end of every video group clinic so let your facilitator know if you think things could be improved.  

Yes, with your agreement. It is often very useful for family members, carers or friends who support you to join. The beauty with video group clinics is they can join from their home or workplace and you can join from yours. If your relative lives at a different address or even in a different town or abroad, they can still join in to support you. They need to consent to take part and agree to respect confidentiality, and confirm their identity just like other participants. Ideally you should just invite one person to join you; otherwise groups can get too large.  

No. To ensure all information shared in the session is kept confidential and your privacy is fully respected, you will be asked to sign up to the ‘VGC Patient Agreement’. This means you must not record, share or post any aspect of the session. It’s in everyone’s interest to respect this.

Let your facilitator know if you are feeling worried about being in a group. It is OK to join a group to just listen. You will still learn a lot and many people who do this and end up joining in once they feel comfortable.  

We assure this in three ways. First, before the group, all participants sign an agreement to not to share any information discussed within the group. Unlike the confidentiality regulations surrounding a doctor’s obligation to keep all information confidential, this is not enforceable by law. However, as all participants will be sharing personal information, it is in everyone’s interests to respect this.

Second, when you join the session, the facilitator will ask you to consent to share limited and relevant information about your condition with the group. This information will be shared with the group in the form of a Results Board. For example, in a diabetes group this might include blood glucose levels, blood pressure and cholesterol. You consent verbally and you might confirm this in the “CHAT box”.

Third, the clinic team makes a record that you have consented and note this in your computer record.  

Clinic teams get training and support in preserving confidentiality and safe information sharing. The video platforms being used to host video group clinics meet NHS cyber security quality requirements. NHS England and Information Commissioners Office have advised on the design of the three-step process teams are using to assure confidentiality.