Before you start: your letter is the instruction that counts
The NHS website says most GP surgeries, hospitals, mental health services and community care services offer video consultations, and that you get the same care as face to face. Courts and tribunals hold some hearings by video too.
There isn't one system: your GP, a Welsh hospital clinic and a tribunal may each use a different service, with different browser advice and help numbers. Whoever books you sends the details by text, email or letter, usually naming the video service and how to join: HMCTS says the court's information names the platform, and Near Me says your provider gives you its video clinic's web address. Treat that as the instruction that counts, and use this guide to get your connection, device and room ready around it.
This guide covers the broadband and set-up side only. It isn't medical or legal advice: questions about the appointment or your case belong with the clinic, the court, or your solicitor or adviser. The services quoted here are in England, Scotland and Wales; in Northern Ireland, follow the instructions you're sent, and the connection and room advice still applies.
Which video service you're likely to be sent
Here is what the services themselves say, checked on 25 October 2026. Some of the official pages are a few years old, so we give their dates.
NHS in England
The NHS website's video consultations page (last reviewed in May 2023) doesn't name a single platform. It says you need a smartphone, tablet or computer that allows video calling, with the microphone and camera switched on, an internet connection, and a well-lit, quiet and private space. The surgery, hospital or service that books you sends the details.
Near Me in Scotland
NHS Scotland's video service is called Near Me. It runs in a web browser, and Near Me says you don't need to download an app or create an account. It asks for a device with a webcam and speaker, an up-to-date Edge, Safari or Chrome browser, a reliable connection, and ideally a private, well-lit area.
NHS Wales health boards
Welsh health boards don't all work the same way. Betsi Cadwaladr's virtual clinics page and Hywel Dda's pages describe a service called Attend Anywhere. Neither shows a date, and Hywel Dda's FAQ was written during the COVID-19 pandemic, so treat them as background and check against your letter. Cardiff and Vale moved to a platform called T-Pro on 1 April 2025 and says old Attend Anywhere links no longer work, so don't reuse a link saved from an earlier appointment.
Hearings run by HM Courts & Tribunals Service
HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) guidance on telephone and video hearings (last updated July 2021) tells you to check you have the right browser or app, read the joining guidance and test your equipment. Some hearings use HMCTS's Cloud Video Platform (CVP), and the court may ask you to check you can join it; the CVP guide says to do that as soon as possible. The CVP guide adds that you may be asked to use another platform instead, such as HMCTS's Video Hearings service.
Courts and tribunals in Scotland
The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) holds virtual hearings on Cisco Webex. Its party guide for civil child welfare and bulk court hearings (November 2021) and its general witness guide (June 2023) cover joining and connections. The party guide recommends downloading the Webex desktop or mobile app and trying it before the hearing date.
Device and browser: check yours against your service
Browser advice is where the services disagree most, so check it days ahead. This is what each source said when we looked:
Service | Browsers it lists | Other notes |
|---|---|---|
Near Me (Scotland) | Up-to-date Edge, Safari or Chrome | No app or account needed |
Betsi Cadwaladr (Wales) | Chrome or Safari; its undated page says the service won't work with Internet Explorer or Microsoft Edge | Needs a webcam, speakers and microphone, built into most laptops, phones and tablets |
Hywel Dda (Wales) | Chrome, Safari or Microsoft Edge | No app or account; some people get better call quality with an external headset and webcam |
Cardiff and Vale (Wales, T-Pro) | Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari | Computers need a webcam and a headset or speakers |
HMCTS Cloud Video Platform | Latest Chrome or Edge | A laptop or desktop is recommended |
Update your browser and device a day or two before, so any restart happens when it doesn't matter. If your letter says something different from this table, go with the letter: services change, as Cardiff and Vale did in 2025.
Your browser also has to be allowed to use the camera and microphone, so allow it when asked. Hywel Dda's troubleshooting page says to check camera and microphone access in your privacy and browser settings, and to close other software using them, such as another video app left open.
How much connection a video call needs
The health services mostly avoid quoting a speed. Near Me says that if you can watch a video online, your connection should be good enough for a video call, and Betsi Cadwaladr gives the same rule of thumb with YouTube as the example. Near Me accepts a wired, Wi-Fi or mobile data connection, as long as it's reliable.
The courts are more specific. HMCTS's Cloud Video Platform guide focuses on your upload speed: how fast your connection sends your own picture and voice out, as opposed to download, which brings everyone else's in. On copper and part-fibre lines upload is much slower than download: Openreach lists up to 1Mbps upload on its copper broadband and up to 15Mbps on fibre to the cabinet, against up to 21Mbps and 76Mbps download; our guide to download vs upload speed explains why and how to check yours.
The Cloud Video Platform's upload settings
HMCTS's CVP guide says that if video quality is poor you should test your internet speed on the device you'll use, note the upload speed, then change CVP's 'Bandwidth' drop-down yourself to the setting that matches:
Your upload speed | CVP bandwidth setting |
|---|---|
4Mbps or more | Maximum |
3 to 4Mbps | High |
2 to 3Mbps | Medium |
500kbps to 2Mbps | Low |
Under 500kbps | Call the CVP helpdesk |
Mbps means megabits per second, the usual unit for broadband speed; 500kbps (kilobits per second) is half a megabit. For context, the broadband universal service obligation lets you request a connection that includes an upload sync speed of at least 1 megabit per second, so a line that only just meets that standard would sit in CVP's Low band. If that sounds like your home, our guide to the broadband universal service obligation explains the right to request a decent connection.
Scottish court hearings
SCTS's party guide for civil child welfare and bulk hearings quotes Cisco's recommendation of at least 2.0Mbps per screen, both sending and receiving, and recommends that users have 10Mbps for the hearings. It also asks you to join at least five minutes before your allotted time. If your speed test falls well short, tell the court, through your solicitor if you have one, before the hearing date.
What the video apps themselves publish
For an NHS call, the nearest you'll get to a number is what the big video platforms publish for their own apps, which are not the NHS's software. Zoom lists 600kbps up and down for high-quality one-to-one video and 1.2Mbps for 720p HD; Microsoft recommends 1,500kbit/s each way for a one-to-one Teams video call. Our guide to what broadband speed you need sets these beside streaming, gaming and the rest of a household's use.
If calls break up on a line whose speed test looks fine, look at your Wi-Fi, what else is using the connection, and delay (latency) before blaming the package.
Test your connection a few days before
Leave yourself time to fix something. A few days ahead:
- Use the same device in the same room. Run our broadband speed test on the phone, tablet or laptop you'll use, sitting where you'll sit. CVP's guide asks for this test, on the hearing device, if video quality is poor.
- Note the upload figure and the ping. Upload is what the court guidance looks at. Hywel Dda suggests checking latency too: the delay for data to get there and back, measured in milliseconds. Our guide to latency, ping and jitter explains what the numbers mean for calls.
- Test at the same time of day. For example, if you're booked for 4pm on a Tuesday, test around 4pm on a weekday, while the household is busy as usual.
- Compare with a test beside the router. If the result is much better next to the router than in your chosen room, the weak link is Wi-Fi, not your line.
Results vary between runs and test sites, so run two or three. Our guide to why speed test results differ explains why.
Do the test call
A test call checks the whole chain at once: browser, camera, microphone, speakers and connection.
- Near Me: its test call checks your device and connection and shows what you'd see in a real consultation.
- NHS Wales: Hywel Dda says to complete a test call using the web link in your appointment letter; Betsi Cadwaladr says to do it on the same device you plan to use.
- HMCTS: its guidance warns that not testing your equipment may delay or disrupt the hearing. If the court asks you to check you can join CVP, do it straight away. CVP's test call page asks you to allow camera and microphone access: if you can see a small video of yourself and a green bar moves as you speak, both are working.
- SCTS: if you're offered a Webex test, take it on the device and connection you'll use on the day.
If the test fails and you can't fix it, say so early. HMCTS says to tell the court immediately about any issues, and that the court will consider your needs, which could mean joining a different way. For a health appointment, ring the number on your letter.
Get your home connection ready on the day
Some of these steps come from the services' own advice for poor picture and sound, and we say which; the rest are general home-network tips.
Pick the connection, not just the room
If your laptop has an Ethernet port and the router is within reach, a cable takes Wi-Fi out of the picture. SCTS's guide for civil child welfare and bulk hearings recommends a wired connection or Wi-Fi rather than a phone connection, and its witness guide says to use a secured and/or wired connection. Our guide to a wired Ethernet home network covers cables and adapters.
On Wi-Fi, sit closer to the router: Hywel Dda's advice for poor video or audio includes getting closer to the wireless access point. The quietest, most private room in the house may also be the one where your Wi-Fi is weakest, so measure it rather than guess. Our guide to finding Wi-Fi dead spots shows how to check each room.
Clear the household traffic
Hywel Dda suggests checking whether others on the network are using lots of bandwidth, naming Netflix and YouTube as examples, and HMCTS's CVP guide says to close all other browser windows and tabs before you join. Beyond that, some general tips: for the length of the appointment, ask the household to:
- pause streaming on TVs and tablets
- hold off game downloads and updates
- stop photo and cloud backups, which use upload, the same direction as your video
- keep other video calls until afterwards
If your picture freezes only when someone else is busy online, the cause may be bufferbloat, delay that builds up when the connection is full. Our guide to bufferbloat explains how to test for it and which router settings can help.
Using mobile data
Mobile data is an accepted option for health appointments: Near Me lists it, and Hywel Dda says you can connect through 3G or 4G as well as Wi-Fi or Ethernet. Near Me says a typical 20-minute call uses 230MB on a mobile device, less on slower connections, and waiting to be connected costs nothing.
Courts are stricter: SCTS asks witnesses to avoid personal or open hotspots. If mobile data is your only option for a hearing, tell the court well before the day.
Power, light and quiet
HMCTS asks you to be ready at least 20 minutes early with the device fully charged or plugged in, and to tell anyone you share the space with that you mustn't be interrupted. On video it suggests something plain behind you, light in front of you, your face and shoulders in view, and muting when you're not speaking. The same set-up helps a clinician see and hear you clearly on a health call.
If the call drops or won't connect
Before you start, write down the phone number from your letter and keep a charged phone beside you. This is what each service says to do if the video fails:
Service | What it says to do |
|---|---|
NHS (England) | If the video call doesn't work or you have no signal, they will try a phone call instead; if that isn't possible, you can rebook. |
Near Me (Scotland) | If you can't get through, contact your provider on the number in your appointment letter or email. |
Hywel Dda (Wales) | Many call problems are fixed by clicking refresh; check camera and microphone permissions. Its contact centre is on 0300 303 9642. For other boards, use the number on your letter. |
HMCTS (CVP) | Call the CVP technical helpdesk on 0330 808 9405, Monday to Friday. On Saturdays and bank holidays, contact the court. If technical support can't solve it, tell the court immediately. |
SCTS (Webex) | For civil child welfare and bulk hearings, it may be possible to join by telephone through your solicitor and the clerk of court, but you won't be able to see proceedings. The witness guide says witnesses can join by telephone with a code from the clerk of court, without seeing all participants. Call charges may apply. |
A simple plan for a dropped call
- Refresh the page or rejoin the same link once.
- If it fails again, change something: move next to the router, plug in a cable, or switch from Wi-Fi to mobile data if your service allows it.
- Then ring the number from your letter, or the CVP helpdesk for a hearing, rather than retrying until your slot runs out.
If your package includes a 4G backup, or you'd use your phone as a hotspot for a health appointment, test it first; our guide to a backup broadband connection covers the options. For a Scottish court hearing, remember SCTS's advice against personal hotspots.
If it keeps happening
A connection that drops on every call is worth reporting rather than putting up with. Our guide to reporting a broadband fault explains what to have ready. If your line works but can't send enough upload for CVP's settings, see what's available where you live: you can compare deals at your postcode, and our fibre broadband deals page focuses on faster connections. If cost is the barrier, our guide to free or low-cost internet access covers social tariffs and other help, and our cheap broadband deals page lists lower-cost packages.
Carers, supporters, interpreters and accessibility
You don't have to do this alone. Hywel Dda says a family member, carer, friend or interpreter can join a video consultation, either in the same room with the clinician's agreement or through a link the clinician sends to their email or mobile number. Ask your own clinic, because services differ.
For hearings, HMCTS says you can ask for reasonable adjustments and special measures, and in non-criminal cases you can ask the court's permission for a supporter who isn't involved in the case to join you. Ask well before the hearing date.
If you're deaf or have hearing loss, RNID publishes guides to captions, transcripts, sign language interpreters and speech-to-text reporters in Teams, Zoom and Google Meet, noting that features differ between participants and hosts, desktop app and browser, and free, business or education accounts. NHS and court platforms are different software, so ask the clinic or court what support they can arrange. Our guide to managing broadband with hearing loss covers contacting your provider by text, relay or BSL, and captions on video calls.
If you're helping a relative who lives elsewhere, do the test call with them a few days before, by phone if need be, and check their Wi-Fi reaches the room they'll use. Our guide to paying for a relative's broadband covers sorting out their contract.
Rules worth knowing
- Never record a hearing. HMCTS says it is a criminal offence to record the video or sound of a hearing.
- Video isn't right for everything. Near Me says that if you need a physical examination or a procedure, you'll still need to be seen in person. Hywel Dda's FAQ, written during the COVID-19 pandemic, says you don't have to accept video and will be offered a telephone appointment if that suits you better; Betsi Cadwaladr says to ring the number on your letter if you don't want a video consultation.
- Use only the link you've been sent. Cardiff and Vale says to enter a waiting room only if a video appointment has been issued to you.
Video appointment FAQs
What internet speed do I need for an NHS video appointment?
NHS services don't give a single figure. Near Me in Scotland and Betsi Cadwaladr in Wales say that if you can watch a video online, your connection should be good enough. For a rough guide, Zoom lists 600kbps each way for high-quality one-to-one video and Microsoft recommends 1.5Mbps each way for a one-to-one Teams call. Test your upload speed on the device you'll use.
Do I need to download an app for a GP or Near Me video appointment?
Near Me says you don't need to download an app or create an account: it works in an up-to-date Edge, Safari or Chrome browser. Hywel Dda in Wales says the same for its video consultations. Other NHS services may differ, so follow the instructions in your appointment letter, text or email.
What happens if my video appointment drops or won't connect?
The NHS website says that if your video call doesn't work, they will try a phone call instead, and if that isn't possible you can rebook. For a court hearing on HMCTS's Cloud Video Platform, call the helpdesk on 0330 808 9405 (Monday to Friday), or contact the court on Saturdays and bank holidays, and tell the court immediately if it can't be fixed.
Can I join a court or tribunal video hearing on mobile data or a phone hotspot?
The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service's guide for civil child welfare and bulk hearings recommends a wired connection or Wi-Fi rather than a phone connection, and its witness guide tells witnesses to avoid personal or open hotspots. HMCTS's CVP guide recommends a laptop or desktop with the latest Chrome or Edge. If mobile data is your only option, tell the court well before the hearing.
Can a carer or family member join my video appointment?
Often, yes. Hywel Dda health board says a family member, carer, friend or interpreter can join, in the same room with the clinician's agreement or through a link sent to them. For hearings, HMCTS says that in non-criminal cases you can ask the court's permission for a supporter who isn't involved in the case to join.
Can I record my video hearing or appointment?
Not a court hearing: HMCTS says it is a criminal offence to record the video or sound of a hearing. For health appointments, ask your service about its own rules. Hywel Dda says its video calls are not recorded, and Betsi Cadwaladr says no information is stored or recorded on Attend Anywhere.
