Telehealth Consent

This consent form (“Consent”) explains how telehealth works and asks for your informed consent to receive healthcare remotely from UK-registered pharmacists, pharmacist independent prescribers, doctors and other clinicians (each a “Provider”). Care is delivered through the NowPatient Website and App (the “Service”), owned and operated by Infohealth Limited (“Infohealth”, “we” or “us”), company number 04004930, 28 Chipstead Valley Road, Coulsdon, Surrey CR5 2RA.

Medicines are dispensed by Infohealth Pharmacy, a GPhC-registered pharmacy (registration 1036487) at the same address.

You give your Consent by ticking the consent box before your first consultation. This Consent covers receiving care by telehealth only. It is not consent to research, or to your information being used to train AI models; we will always ask you about those separately.

• Our Terms of Use
• Our Privacy Policy
• Our Cookie Policy
• Our AI Build Policy

If you do not give your Consent, you should not use the Service.

“Telehealth” is healthcare delivered remotely, by online questionnaire, secure messaging, telephone or video (“Consultation”). Your Provider decides which format is clinically appropriate, and may ask for a video or telephone Consultation even if you started with a questionnaire.

• You can get advice and treatment without travelling to a GP surgery, clinic or hospital, usually at a time that suits you.
• Avoiding waiting rooms reduces your risk of catching infections from other people.
• You have a written record of your Consultation and any advice in your NowPatient account.

Your Provider cannot physically examine you, so some conditions are harder to assess remotely. You should understand that:

• Your Provider relies on the information you give. If it is incomplete or inaccurate, the advice or treatment may not be safe or suitable for you.
• Your Provider may decide telehealth is not appropriate and refer you to your NHS GP, a pharmacy, NHS 111 or another service for a face-to-face assessment.
• Your Provider may ask for extra evidence before prescribing, such as a photo, a recent blood pressure or weight reading, test results or confirmation from your GP.
• Technical problems may interrupt or delay a Consultation. A video Consultation may continue by telephone if the connection is poor.
• Any electronic system carries a small risk that information could be lost, intercepted or accessed without permission. We use security measures to reduce this risk and will tell you and the Information Commissioner’s Office about any serious breach, as the law requires.
• No particular outcome is guaranteed. A Provider may decide not to prescribe if it is not clinically appropriate, even after you have paid for a Consultation; see our Private Treatment Plan Terms for refunds.
• NowPatient private services are not funded by the NHS. You pay for Consultations and medicines unless we tell you a service is NHS-commissioned. Private medical insurance may not cover these costs.

Your Provider may use AI-assisted tools, for example to help prepare notes or a summary of your Consultation. These tools support your Provider and do not replace them.

• AI does not diagnose you, prescribe for you or make treatment decisions. Your Provider reviews anything an AI tool produces before it is acted on or shared with another healthcare professional.
• If a tool records, transcribes or summarises your Consultation, your Provider will tell you at the start. You can ask for it not to be used without it affecting your care.
• Information is de-identified before it reaches an AI model, and AI providers are not allowed to train their models on it. See our AI Build Policy and Privacy Policy.

By giving your Consent, you confirm that:

• You are 18 or over and live in the United Kingdom.
• You are the person receiving care, and you will not use the Service on behalf of someone else.
• You will answer all questions fully and honestly, including your medical history, other medicines (prescribed, over the counter and herbal), allergies, and whether you are pregnant, planning a pregnancy or breastfeeding.
• You agree to us checking your identity, which may include an electronic identity check.
• You will take part in the Consultation in a private place where you are comfortable discussing your health.
• You will tell us promptly if your health changes, you have side effects, or you start any new medicine.
• You will not record a video or telephone Consultation without your Provider’s agreement.

Every prescription is issued by a Provider registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), General Medical Council (GMC) or Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), following our prescribing guidelines and national guidance such as NICE.

• Your Provider decides whether a medicine is safe and appropriate for you. Completing a questionnaire or paying does not guarantee a prescription.
• For some medicines, such as weight loss treatments, your Provider must have enough information to prescribe safely, which may include verified measurements or contact with your GP.
• A pharmacist at Infohealth Pharmacy checks every prescription before it is dispensed and may contact you or your Provider with questions.
• Read the Patient Information Leaflet supplied with your medicine and follow the directions on the label.
• You can report a suspected side effect to us or directly to the MHRA through the Yellow Card scheme.

We believe it is safest for your NHS GP to know about medicines prescribed for you. Where your treatment is likely to affect other care you receive, we will ask your permission to share a summary with your GP.

• For some medicines, your Provider can only prescribe if you agree to us informing your GP. We will tell you before you pay if this applies.
• If you do not agree to sharing for one of those medicines, we will not be able to prescribe it.
• With your consent, your Provider may view your NHS Summary Care Record to check your medicines and allergies.

Infohealth is the data controller for the health information you give us, and we process it under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 to provide your care.

• Your Provider keeps a clinical record of every Consultation, in line with professional standards and our Data Retention Policy.
• Only staff and Providers involved in your care can access your record.
• You can ask for a copy of your record, or ask us to correct it, by contacting us.
• If you are unhappy with how we use your information, you can contact our Data Protection Officer or complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Your Provider must follow the law and professional standards. They may share information without your consent where this is needed to protect you or someone else from serious harm, to safeguard a child or vulnerable adult, or where the law requires it. See our Safeguarding Statement.

Telehealth is not suitable for emergencies. NowPatient does not monitor messages around the clock.

• In a life-threatening emergency, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E.
• For urgent advice that is not an emergency, call NHS 111 or visit 111.nhs.uk.
• If you have a serious reaction to a medicine, such as swelling of the face or difficulty breathing, call 999.

If you are unhappy with your care, please tell us through our complaints process and we will respond. If you remain unhappy, you can raise concerns about a pharmacy or pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council, or about a doctor with the General Medical Council.

You can withdraw your Consent at any time by contacting us or closing your account. This will not affect any NHS care you are entitled to. We will still keep your clinical records for as long as the law requires.

By ticking the consent box, you confirm that you have read and understood this Consent, that you have had the chance to ask questions, and that you agree to receive care by telehealth.