Virtual Care Service Frequently Asked Questions

Virtual care means that there is a care team providing support to you, from the comfort of your own home. The care team is made up of nurses and doctors. You can communicate with them by providing information about your health through simple questionnaires or sending messages from the tablet or mobile phone device provided to you. The team reviews this information and provides you with advice and support. This may be done through phone calls, or video calls and messaging via the tablet.

Winter can be a challenging time for those with health conditions. This service is here to help by spotting early signs of illness and making sure you get the care you need, all from the comfort of your home where possible. This could include giving you advice, prescribing medication, or referring you to a local health service.

*If you don't want to join this service, simply reply ‘No’ to the text you have received from your GP practice. Even if you decide to start using it, you can change your mind at any time. Saying no to this service won't affect any other care or services you receive from the NHS.

We work closely with the NHS to help you get the care you need right at home, so you can avoid trips to the hospital or clinic. We support people with various health conditions and will guide you every step of the way. You’ll be able to send your results to a dedicated team of healthcare professionals who will keep an eye on them and contact you if there are any concerns. By spotting early changes to your health, we can make sure you get the right treatment as quickly as possible.

Receiving care in the comfort of your home may:

• Reduce the need for you to be admitted to hospital, therefore reducing your risk of picking up an infection from the hospital.
• Lower the costs and inconvenience of travelling to the hospital for family or carers.
• Lower your chance of needing a hospital stay in the near future.
• Improve your recovery. Being at home in a familiar environment, where you may have friends, family or pets can help improve your mental and physical health.
• Improve your satisfaction with the care you receive.

This service will be available until April 2025.

Once you’ve read through the information about the service and are happy to join, you’ll receive a Doccla box. Inside, you’ll find monitoring devices and a mobile phone or tablet. You’ll use this kit to keep track of your health and share how you’re feeling with the clinicians monitoring you.

After you receive your Doccla box, a member of our team will give you a call. They’ll explain how to use the devices and guide you through the patient app on the phone or tablet. We also have a patient helpline and we’re here to support you.

Thousands of people have used our service, and they love it. In a recent survey, 98.9% of patients reported being ‘very satisfied’ by the service. Doccla has been thoroughly tested to ensure it’s safe and effective for everyone.

We work closely with the NHS to help you receive the care you need at home, avoiding unnecessary hospital or clinic visits. Our service, called Virtual Care, is designed for people with medical conditions that could lead to unplanned hospital admissions. By picking up signs of illness early, we can step in quickly to provide the right care.

When you join our home monitoring service, you’ll receive a Doccla box. Inside, you’ll find monitoring devices and a mobile phone or tablet. You’ll use this kit to keep track of your health and share how you’re feeling with your care team.

We also offer a patient helpline to support you. Thousands of people have used our service, and they love it. Doccla has been thoroughly tested to ensure it’s safe and effective for everyone.

You may have received a text message or phone call inviting you to join the service. If you decide to take part, we’ll send you a Doccla box. This box includes medical devices and a mobile phone or tablet.

Next, a member of our team will call you to help you get set up. They’ll explain how to use the medical devices and guide you through the patient app on the phone or tablet.

Not at all! Thousands of people of all ages have used our service, and they’ve found it easy and enjoyable. Doccla has been thoroughly tested to ensure it’s safe and simple to use. You will also be provided with step-by-step instructions in the kit you receive. Plus, we offer a patient helpline, so we’re here to support you and your carers, no matter your experience with technology.

When you receive your Doccla box, a dedicated team will help you get started. You’ll use the medical devices in the box to take measurements from your body, like your vital signs. Each device comes with instructions - be sure to read these carefully before using them. There are also helpful videos saved in the app on your Doccla phone or tablet that show you how to use the devices.

You’ll also answer regular questionnaires in the app. The information you send will be visible to our team of nurses and doctors on their dashboard. They’ll use this information to offer you advice and support through video calls, phone calls, or direct messaging in the app.

We also have a patient helpline to support you with any questions.

The care team will review your health results and if you show signs of becoming unwell, you will be contacted by telephone for an assessment. Depending on the outcome of this assessment, your case may be discussed with a GP, and a plan will be shared with you.

The clinicians will be checking any results you submit Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm. If you submit results or send messages on the app outside of these times, the clinicians may not see your measurements.

This is not an emergency service. If you feel your health gets worse suddenly you must call 111 (for urgent help) or 999 (in an emergency).You must call 999 if:

• You are unable to complete short sentences at rest due to breathlessness;
• You’ve had a fall and cannot get up;
• Your breathing suddenly worsens within an hour;
• You’ve lost a large amount of blood;
• You have a sudden feeling of severe crushing chest pain or severe headache;
• You are coughing up blood;
• You have blue lips or a blue face;
• You feel cold and sweaty with pale or blotchy skin;
• You have a rash that does not fade when you roll a glass over it;
• You collapse or faint;
• You become agitated, confused or very drowsy; or
• You have stopped passing urine or are passing much less urine than normal.

Only if you feel you need their help to participate in this service. We have a dedicated helpline available to assist you with using the devices and submitting your measurements. However, if you think you need extra help, you’re welcome to ask a friend or family member to support you.

No, you don’t. The Doccla kit you’ll receive includes a mobile phone or tablet with a SIM card already installed. When we set you up, we might ask you to connect the device to your home WiFi, if you have it, to ensure a stable connection. However, this isn’t necessary - the SIM card will provide the internet connection you need.

Taking part in this service will not affect any other services or care you receive from the NHS.

However, you will be able to show others information you have tracked during your time on the service from the Doccla app on the tablet device provided to you.

Your care team will let you know when you are being discharged from the service. When this happens, you will need to return the monitoring kit. When it is time to return your kit, follow these steps:

1. Put all of the devices back into the clear plastic bags that they were sent in; then
2. Put those bags inside the large brown envelope marked ‘Return Bag’. You do not need to return the big cardboard box - this can be recycled.
3. Wait for one of our customer service agents to call you. They will tell you the options for returning the kit and arrange drop off or collection.

Personal information can be used to identify who you are.

At Doccla, we are serious about the protection of personal information.

We only share the minimum information that people need to be able to do their jobs, nothing more. Personal information about your health will only be shared with those directly involved in your care. This may include hospital staff, community teams, care homes, emergency services, GPs and Doccla support staff. Doccla will also share your name and address
with the courier that delivers and collects the Doccla box.

Personal information that may be shared includes your name, address, date of birth, gender, medical history, ethnicity and next of kin details. It also includes your vital signs and your responses to the questionnaire(s) in the Doccla patient app.

Your NHS care team may share relevant information about your health with Doccla so that Doccla can set up your home monitoring.

Doccla will always ask your permission before sharing any personal information that is not about your care or safety.

Doccla stores personal information on two secure computer systems. One is called Zendesk, which is used by Doccla’s support team to call patients. One is called the Virtual Ward Platform which is used by your care team to look at the information that you send them through the app. Any documentation entered by Doccla clinicians will be visible on your existing GP record. Your data may also be shared with the evaluation partner for this service, Edge Health for the purposes of assessing performance of care delivery.

All systems are protected by passwords so only authorised people have access. The clinicians (such as doctors, nurses and paramedics) are

regularly checking the information that you send through the app. They will call you if they are concerned about your answers to the questionnaire or the measurements you enter.

Doccla’s support team is also checking the information to make sure you complete your questionnaire(s) at the right time. If you forget to send information through the app, they may contact you to remind you.

If you don’t want your information to be used in these ways or if you have questions, please call customer services on 0808 175 0832