Video Consultation

Your video consultation will be held online via a video conferencing platform just like Zoom or MS Teams, except you do not need to register or create an account. You will be sent a link to it and will be able to access it on your personal computer (PC), laptop, tablet, or smartphone. It’s super easy.

You can click the link anytime, but we would advise doing so a few minutes before your appointment to check everything is working for you and to get comfortable.

When you click the link, you enter a virtual ‘waiting room’ where you will be held until the doctor is ready to see you. Don’t worry, you may feel like you are all alone, but your doctor will know that you are waiting.

When your doctor begins the video call, expect them to check your ID so please have it ready. All you need to do is hold it up to the camera and the doctor will check it against our records.

Assuming all is well, you and your doctor can start addressing your skin concerns. Take your time explaining what has been happening with your skin.

At the end of your consultation, your doctor will guide you through the next steps.

When you log in to your skindoc account there is a section called 'Resources'. This webpage contains all you need to prepare yourself, including a dedicated guide titled: How to prepare for a Live Video Consultation. This webpage has several other documents that you may find helpful.

Depending on the time of day that you book, you can usually get an appointment on the same day, if not the next. Very rarely will there be no availability past 48 hours.

Some skindoc doctors are available in the evening, at weekends and even bank holidays.

Yes. If your doctor feels a prescription medication is required, then they can generate one for you. You will be offered the choice of using our digital pharmacy partners, Phlo, or receiving a paper prescription in the post.

Phlo can send your prescription directly to you anywhere in the UK and they offer several delivery options, including same day, depending on where you live. Phlo will contact you on the day the prescription was generated, except Sundays.

Paper prescriptions are sent via first class mail and so are slower. You will need to check with your local pharmacies if they have the medication in stock.

The length of time is determined by your doctor and can be found on their personal bio/page as part of the booking process. It is also available via the ‘Meet our doctors’ webpage.

The new appointment is usually 20-30 minutes whereas follow up appointments tend to be shorter, usually 15 minutes. If you feel your appointment will take longer than the allocated time, we advise booking an extra slot. This can be done via your skindoc account or by contacting us.

No. The appointment you paid for is only for the time and date and cannot be split inot multiple different sessions. You paid for the doctors time so we advise making the most of it.

Yes. If you would like another person to join you, please contact us with their name and email address and our administrative team will arrange a link to be sent to them. It is worth noting, that anybody can join, no matter where they are in the world.

Yes. Your video consultation will be completely confidential. It will not be recorded by either the doctor, the skindoc team or by the video conferencing platform. No personal details will be stored on the video platform either.

The video link we send you is encrypted so the only people who can see you will be the doctor and any family or carers you have asked to attend.

Your doctor will be in a private room but please ensure that you have a suitable place to join your appointment where you can talk freely and uninterrupted.

Online dermatology has been shown to be as effective as in-person dermatology in over 90% of cases. There are however between 2000 - 3000 different skin conditions so it is not always possible to determine if your skin issue would be suitable for the live consultation service or not.

If you submit a case and our doctors do not feel that it is suitable than your case will be declined, and your payment automatically refunded back into your bank account. The doctor may well offer advice or sign post you to alternative options.

No. The link we send you is specific to you and does not require any additional sign up or password. The link is all you need, and we will send it to your registered email address with the option to add a reminder (with the link attached) to you email or smartphone calendar.

You will not need to download any additional software or register with a new account to use our video service; this includes not needing to download any new apps.

All you need is an internet connection and a smartphone, tablet, laptop or PC with an internet browser like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge or Apple iOS Safari.

Yes. Please see our 'Accessibility' page for more information. If you cannot find what you need, please contact us by emailing hello@skindoc.uk

Yes. When you book an appointment you will be prompted to upload some photographs of your skin issue. Your doctor will receive these photos as well as any other written information you choose to share with us.

When you log in to your account there is a section called Resources. This contains several useful documents including two on how to take good photographs. After all, the better the photographs, the easier it is for the doctor to help you.

If you are running late, please contact us as soon as you can via the phone number (8am - 6pm) or via email hello@skindoc.uk. We will speak to the doctor and see what can be done.

If they can see you, please be aware your appointment may run shorter than normal so that all subsequent patients are not affected by the delay

The doctor may occasionally be available later in the day if the appointment is missed, but if not, we might have to reschedule for a different day.

Occasionally, the appointment before yours may run overtime, but it is rarely more than a few minutes, so just remain online in the virtual waiting room.

If the doctor is running more than 5-10 minutes late then we normally email you but if you don’t hear from us then please do contact us via the phone number provided in the 'Contact us' section. We will check on the status of the doctor and let you know. 

If your appointment starts late, don’t worry you will still receive the full-time allowance for your appointment.

If you are experiencing connection issues with your WiFi including video lagging, freezing screen, poor quality sound, or video disconnections, try moving your device closer to the WiFi router.

If it’s the mobile data that is the issue, try moving to a better area of reception e.g. near a window or go to the top floor of your property.

Our doctors are all situated in high-connectivity areas.

Firstly, don’t panic. You will still receive your full consultation no matter what, there just may be a delay while we fix this issue. Here is what you should do:

Step 1: When you have opened the video link, if prompted, chose ‘accept’ or ‘grant permission’ for Jitsi™ (the video platform) to use your camera and microphone. If this does not work, try step 2.

Step 2: Sometimes the browser needs to be restart. Hit the refresh button. If this does not work, try step 3.

Step 3: If you are using a PC/laptop with Windows, open ‘Settings’, choose ‘Privacy’, then choose ‘Microphone’ and check that it is enabled (toggle is set to On for ‘Let apps use my microphone’). If you are experiencing video issues as well, do the same for ‘Camera’. If this does not work (or is not applicable), try step 4.

Step 4: If you get the message ‘Error obtaining microphone permission’, open the web browser (e.g. Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge etc.) settings and check the ‘Permissions’ are set to allow the use of your camera and microphone. You will need to refresh the video page after you save the settings. Here are guides on how to do this for each browser: Chrome, Firefox & Microsoft Edge.

Step 5: Contact us. If steps 1-4 have not worked, please 'Contact us' as soon as possible. It is likely we will need to create an emergency link using DoxyMe which takes a few minutes to set up. 

At present, we are unable to provide a chaperone on the video call however the doctor will be happy for you to bring a family member, friend, or carer in on the call if that would make your experience more comfortable.

You will also have the ability to turn off your camera if you need to expose a body site temporarily and need time to prepare.

If you need to cancel or re-schedule your appointment, please contact us via email or telephone; we will require a minimum of 24 hours’ notice. 

If you are unable to make contact, please leave a message on our answer phone, stating your name, as well as date and time of the booked appointment.

Any appointments, which are not attended, or are cancelled/re-scheduled with less than 24 hours’ notice, will incur a full charge as the doctor will have already been booked and their time allocated to you.

You can reschedule your appointment once. Any more than one will incur a £15 administration fee for each individual rescheduling.

If you miss your appointment, please contact us to arrange another appointment. Please be aware that unattended appointments will incur a full charge and so you will need to pay again for the new appointment.

If you are an NHS patient, your GP will be informed, and they will need to make another referral for you if you still require one.

A doctor will normally suggest a face-to-face appointment prior to accepting your case. If not, this may become apparent after more information has been divulged during a consultation. In both cases your doctor should provide guidance on where, why and how urgently you need to be seen.

skindoc has a clinic in Fulham, London - you can read more here as well as book in.

Unfortunately, it is our policy that all under 16-year-olds must attend with their parent or legal guardian/carer. If you attend alone or with another person not legally responsible for your wellbeing, the consultation will not go ahead.

A 'follow up' refers to your next appointment. These are booked in the same way as your initial consultation and the system will automatically recognise you as a returning patient as long as it is within three months from your last appointment.

Follow up's are typically suggested to review a response to treatment, ammend dosage and/or medication, review potential side effects and changes in your circumstance that may impact your management. Since they are typically quicker than your initial appointment we reduce the price of these for you as long as it is with the same doctor.

After your video consultation, your doctor will generate a clinical letter which will be a summary of your conversation plus include a treatment plan and any further advice deemed appropriate. You will be emailed to let you know when it is ready. This letter can be found on your skindoc account under 'Documents'.

All you need is an internet connection and a smartphone, tablet, laptop or PC with an internet browser like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge or Apple iOS Safari.

Please contact us (preferably by email) explaining what has happened and if photographs would help show the issue clearer, please also include these. If appropriate we can forward on to your doctor for a response. 

Alternatively, there is a chat function available for a short window after your appointment whereby you can directly message your doctor. This can be found by navigating to your Bookings then selecting Options. 

The doctors will speak in English but please check each doctors’ ‘bio’ before you book as some can converse in other languages. Please ask them during your consultation which language you prefer.

If you have researched treatment options or been advised to ask about specific medications, then please discuss this with your doctor during your consultation. There may be reasons why your request would not be the right treatment for you but equally, being informed prior to your consultation can enhance the discussion.

Yes. Our team of dermatology consultants are trained to deliver care to all age groups and since most children will not be able to pay for their own appointments, it would be expected that you book for them.

A 'follow up' refers to your next appointment. The system will automatically recognise you as a returning patient as long as it is within the follow up time frame suggested by your doctor at your last appointment. If it has been longer than that, you will need to be seen again but as a new patient as too much time has elapsed.