Remote consultations and technology

A remote consultation lets a pharmacy team member speak with a patient via video or audio, rather than meeting in person.

Video or audio conferencing allows two or more people in different places to communicate in real time. During recent years, these tools have become a routine part of NHS and community pharmacy work, including virtual meetings and remote consultations. Common platforms include Microsoft Teams, Zoom and bespoke pharmacy and healthcare options.

When clinical services can be provided remotely or off-site

The table below explains when services may be delivered outside the pharmacy premises and when remote consultations are permitted. If you are planning to provide a service off-site or remotely, please read the relevant service webpage and service specification first.

Guidance and resources on remote consultations

Pharmacy owners should review the following before offering remote consultations:

• NHS Remote Consultations Guide for Pharmacy Teams
• NHS guidance on video conferencing and consultation tools
• Video consulting with your patients: quick guide for NHS staff (University of Oxford / NHS)
• Video consulting with your NHS: quick guide for patients (University of Oxford / NHS)
• NHS website video consultations information for patients
• Remote consultations: how pharmacy teams can practise them successfully (Pharmaceutical Journal)

Key points for pharmacy owners to consider:

• the strength and reliability of your pharmacy WiFi
• hardware needs such as webcams, headsets, laptops or mobile devices
• the remote consultation software you plan to use
• training needs for your team
• how you will schedule consultations, for example, fixed sessions or an appointment system
• confirmation that your indemnity insurance covers remote consultations

Choosing a remote consultation system

When selecting a remote consultation system, consider:

• how easy the system is for both your team and your patients to use
• whether patients may already be familiar with the platform
• cost and value for money
• the quality of the experience from a patient perspective, including any reputational risks
• the strength of data security features

NHS guidance advises that a risk assessment should be completed before choosing a system.

Note: NHS IT teams previously provided a list of products that meet the standards for the Digital First Online Consultation and Video Consultation framework (expired). However, that programme is currently dormant because it was not renewed for 2025 and onwards.

See also the pharmacy IT template: Assessing IT solutions checklist

Use of Ambient scribing tools to improve consultation notes made into the record

NHS IT guidance outlines how to safely and effectively adopt AI-enabled ambient scribing tools — technologies that automatically transcribe recorded audio from clinical conversations and intelligently convert it into structured documentation.

These tools aim to reduce administrative burden, improve documentation quality, and enhance clinician-patient interaction. Using technology similar to that of “AI meeting notes” (e.g. Zoom AI meeting notes, Co-pilot AI meeting notes, and other general or dedicated software to perform this function), which converts meeting transcriptions into more helpful and actionable meeting summaries.

While AI-enabled ambient scribing tools are primarily used in other sectors, their potential in community pharmacy may be significant, especially for services such as Pharmacy First and structured medication reviews.

Key considerations for adoption include ensuring patient consent, maintaining data privacy, ensuring digital clinical safety, and integrating with existing systems. NHS England outlines the measures to ensure robust governance and accountability for the use of these. The guidance also highlights the importance of clinician oversight, transparency in AI outputs, and patient consent.

For community pharmacy teams, ambient scribing could streamline note-taking, improve communication with GP practices, and support more consistent, high-quality documentation. However, successful implementation will require collaboration with system suppliers, training for pharmacy teams, and alignment with NHS digital standards.

Pharmacy teams are encouraged to explore future piloting opportunities, assess the impact on workflow, and consider how such tools could enhance the exchange of information between pharmacies and general practitioners, as well as the continuity of patient care. The section above assists with the assessment of tools.

Further information

• Adoption of Ambient scribing tools in care settings (NHS)
• The digital NHS website lists a self-certified registry for Ambient suppliers.

NHS.net Connect Microsoft Teams

All pharmacy NHS.net Connect (formerly NHSmail) users can use Microsoft Teams at no additional cost. Your team can download the Teams app to pharmacy computers or mobile devices and use it for audio, video and messaging with NHS.net users both inside and outside your organisation.

The nhs.net team advises that “Microsoft Teams within NHS.net Connect provides a secure, compliant environment for virtual consultations.”

See our NHS Microsoft Teams and upgrade factsheet for more information.

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For more information on this topic please email it@cpe.org.uk