Patient Support

Telehealth

 

Telephone &
Video Appointments 

What is Telehealth?


Telehealth is a way of attending your medical appointment. 

Instead of seeing your clinician (doctor, nurse, or other healthcare professional) in person at their practice or clinic, you connect with them through a phone or video call. Just like you would call your friends and whānau! 

What kind of appointments can be done over the phone or via video? 

Not all medical appointments are suitable to be done over the phone or via video. For example, if you need to be examined, get blood drawn or have tests done, you will usually have to see the clinician in person.  

However, some types of appointments are generally more suitable to do over the phone or via video. Some of these are

  • Mental health appointments

  • Follow-up appointments

  • Allied Health appointments such as physiotherapy, dietetics, speech and language therapy

  • and more. 

Ask your clinician if it is right for you and your appointment.  


 

Why choose telehealth?



Te Whatu Ora - Nelson Marlborough offers video or telephone appointments where possible. Ask your clinician if it is right for you. 


Like an in-person appointment, your support person(s) can attend your telephone or video appointment. Not only that: with the technology, your family/whānau, support workers, or other specialists can join the video call from wherever they are. 

There are many benefits to choosing telehealth, some include:

save time2

Save time

You don’t have to travel or take time off work

 

 

save money 3

Save money

You don’t have to pay for travel or parking

 

care 2

Quality of care

Is the same, just closer to home.

germs 2

Stay healthy

Lower the risk of catching or spreading germs 

 

Need help attending your telehealth appointment?

 

How to Guide

Telephone Appointments:

phone appt

Your first telephone appointment with your clinician is booked, and you want to know what it's all about? Read this How-To Guide to learn how it works. 

 

1. Where do I go to attend my appointment?

Nowhere! Instead of travelling to your appointment, simply wait for your clinician to call you at the agreed time.

 

2. What do I need for the telephone appointment?

  • A charged mobile phone or landline. It is easiest if you have a hands-free device. You can also use the speaker function or a headset. 

  • A quiet place where you will not be disturbed during your appointment. 

  • Pen and paper in case you want to take notes during the appointment.

 

3. What should I prepare for my telephone appointment?

You can help get the best from a telephone appointment by following these simple steps:

  • Prepare a list of questions or issues you want to discuss with your clinician. 

  • Have your prescription card, a list of your medications or your medications in their packaging at hand.

 

4. What happens during the telephone appointment?

A telephone appointment is similar to a 'normal', in-person medical appointment. However, instead of sitting in your clinician's office, you and your healthcare professional will talk over the telephone. 

  • You might be asked to confirm your identity at the beginning of your appointment. This could be done by asking you for your name, address, and date of birth.
  • If you have a support person(s) with you, introduce them to your clinician. 
  • When ready, you can talk to your clinician about your health.
  • Please let the clinician know if you have a question or need help during the appointment. They aim to answer your questions.
  • You may receive important information like, for example, changes to your medication.
  • You can ask the clinician to repeat information to ensure you both understand it correctly.
  • Don't be worried if something goes wrong with the call. The clinician will call you back. 
  • After the clinician has finished talking with you, they will arrange things like letters, tests and other appointments if needed.

 

5. What about privacy?

Your privacy is important to us. No matter if it's an in-person, telephone or video appointment - our systems are designed to keep your information confidential. 

During the telephone appointment, your clinician will be in a private space, and the information will be recorded in your health record. 

      

Help - I'm stuck!

Have you worked through the information above and need help? NHM is here for you. Support is available Monday to Friday 8am – 4pm (not available on public holidays or weekends). Just email [email protected] or telephone/text our Digital Health Navigator on 022 038 0499. 

How-to Guide

Video Appointments: 

video appt 1

Your first video appointment with your clinician is booked, and you want to know what it's all about? Read this How-To Guide to learn how it works. 

 

1. Where do I go to attend my appointment? 

Nowhere! Instead of travelling to your appointment, simply click the Zoom meeting link to meet with your healthcare professional.  
 

2. What do I need to make an ataata (video) call?

  • A charged-up pūrere (device) such as a computer, tablet (for example, an iPad) or smartphone with a camera, speakers and a microphone. Most home devices, including laptops and tablets, have all three built-in.

  • Using a computer, you can join your appointment through the following browsers: Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Firefox and Safari.

  • Using a handheld device like a tablet or smartphone, download and use the Zoom app.

  • A good internet connection. You can use data, but if possible and you have access to it, we recommend Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi usually offers a better and more stable connection.

  • A quiet and well-lit area where you will not be disturbed during your appointment. 

  • Pen and paper in case you want to take notes during the appointment.


3. What should I prepare for my video appointment?

You can help get the best from a video appointment by following these simple steps:

  • Allow yourself 15 minutes to sign in to your appointment.

  • Prepare a list of questions or issues you want to discuss with your clinician. 

  • Have your prescription card, a list of your medications or your medications in their packaging on hand.


4. What happens during the video appointment?

A video appointment is similar to a ‘regular’, in-person medical appointment. However, instead of sitting in your clinician's office, you and your healthcare professional will be visible on each other's device screen. 

  • You might be asked to confirm your identity at the beginning of your appointment. This could be done by asking you for your name, address, and date of birth.

  • If you have a support person(s) with you, introduce them to your clinician. 

  • When ready, you can talk to your clinician about your health.

  • If you want, you can use your device's camera to show your clinician something.

  • Please let the clinician know if you have a question or need help during the appointment. They aim to answer your questions.

  • You may receive important information like, for example, changes to your medication.

  • You can ask the clinician to repeat information to ensure you both understand it correctly.

  • Don't be worried if something goes wrong with the video call. The clinician will call you back by Zoom or phone. 

  • After the clinician has finished talking with you, they will arrange things like letters, tests and other appointments if needed.


If all goes well, the call will feel like a face-to-face appointment!

 

5. What about privacy?

Your privacy is important to us. No matter if it's an in-person, phone or video appointment - our systems are designed to keep your information confidential. 

During the video appointment, your clinician will be in a private space, and the information will be recorded in your health record. The video appointments are made over a secured network.  


Important things to remember

Test your connection before your appointment to ensure your audio and/or camera works properly.

You will need your appointment link or meeting ID to join the appointment. Both can be found in your appointment letter/email. 

If you can't find the Zoom link for your appointment but know your meeting ID, you can still join your appointment! Simply visit the NMH Zoom portal https://nmdhb.zoom.us/, click 'Join Appointment' and enter your meeting ID. 


Help - I'm stuck!

Have you worked through the information above and need help? We're is here for you. Support is available Monday to Friday 8am – 4pm (not available on public holidays or weekends). Just email [email protected] or phone/text our Digital Health Navigator on 022 038 0499.

Patient Support - Our Digital Health Navigator:

 

Anna Web 1Anna, our Digital Health Navigator

Technology is not always easy to use or self-explanatory. That is why we offer free, individualised learning sessions to help you set up your video appointment. 

The Digital Health Navigator is here to support you and can help you with:

  • setting up the video app Zoom (we use Zoom for video appointments)
  • joining your first meeting
  • getting confident in using the technology for your video appointment.

The Digital Health Navigator will walk you through everything you need to know before your appointment. The learning sessions are step-by-step and in simple language. They are available to people of all ages and abilities - no previous computer or technology skill is needed!

If you are interested, contact our Digital Health Navigator, Anna, by emailing [email protected] or by phoning or texting 022 038 0499.

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

When you are referred to a specialist service with Nelson Marlborough Health, we will consider if a phone or video appointment is right for you. Not all appointments can be done this way. Currently, only those that don't require an examination or a test can be done over phone or video call. Ask your clinician if it is right for you and your next appointment.

It is important to know that if you are offered a phone or video appointment, you do not have to agree to it: your health, your choice! You can always choose an in-person appointment.

If you have been referred to a specialist service with us and are eligible for publicly funded healthcare, your appointment is free (except for your internet data usage).

A telehealth appointment uses less than half of the data you would use while watching a YouTube video in high definition*. That's about 230MB on a mobile device and 450MB on a PC for a 20-minute call. Data use less on lower-speed internet connections or if you're using a less powerful computer, tablet, or smartphone. These factors can also reduce the overall quality of the video and audio during the appointment.

If a prescription or other investigations are needed, your healthcare professional will send an electronic prescription or referral to the pharmacy or provider.

We might be able to help you! Contact the Digital Health Navigator so we can find a solution for you. Send an email to [email protected] or phone/text 022 038 0499.

Your privacy is important to us. No matter if it's an in-person, phone or video appointment - our systems are designed to keep your information confidential. During the telephone or video appointment, your clinician will be in a private space, and the information will be recorded in your health record. The video appointments are made over a secured network.

Have a read over the how-to guide here.

Under most circumstances, your telehealth appointment will not be recorded. However, if your healthcare professional or your GP thinks it would be helpful for your treatment to record particular images during your appointment, they will first ask you if you are ok with it.

Like an in-person appointment, your support person(s) can attend your Telehealth appointment. Not only that: with the technology, your family/whānau, support workers, or other specialists can join the video call from wherever they are.