Very little, but a few things make the consultation considerably more useful:
- A list of your current medications, including doses — photographing the boxes is easiest
- Any allergies
- Relevant recent test results, if you have them
- A quiet place where you can speak freely
- Photo ID for verification, if you have not already completed it
For specific problems: blood pressure and weight readings if you have them, particularly for hypertension, weight management or a medical form; photographs for anything on the skin, taken in good natural light; and your peak flow or inhaler to hand for an asthma review.
The one that makes the biggest difference
Write down what you actually want from the appointment before it starts. Two or three lines is enough.
It sounds trivial and it is the single most useful thing you can do. Twenty minutes goes quickly, and it is remarkably common for the thing someone was most worried about to surface in the last two.
Practical set-up
- Test your camera and microphone a few minutes early, and use headphones if you have them — they improve the audio at both ends
- Sit facing a window rather than with your back to one, so you are lit rather than silhouetted. This matters more than it sounds for anything visual
- Have a pen and paper. You will be sent a written summary, but people remember what they wrote down
- Charge the device, or plug it in
If you do not have photo ID
Tell us before you book rather than discovering it on the day. Identity verification is a safety requirement rather than red tape — see how it works — and there are other ways to establish identity that we can discuss.
Useful but not essential
The name and address of your NHS GP practice, in case we need to write to them, and the pharmacy you want any prescription sent to.