Coronavirus/COVID 19 Frequently Asked Questions

To help you understand everything you need to know about COVID 19, we have collated some of the most frequently asked questions:

How can I purchase more licences for Vision Anywhere?

Please contact your local Vision Account Manager. They will know the correct process for your area. Purchase of licences differs for each of the four home countries. If you do not have Vision Anywhere, but would like to get started click here

How can we get the entire patient's list from each practice within a cluster into one system?

Vision has a solution called Vision Anywhere for Shared Care, it allows all the functionality of Vision Anywhere mobile consultations, with the added value of sharing of patient appointments and records between different practices (including EMIS Web patient records).

Note - This includes EMIS web data. A sharing agreement needs to be in place but this will mean one login and access to patients.

Click here to find out more about remote working with Vision Anywhere for Shared Care.

Can we discuss clinical audit, it is not defined enough for the 'at risk' self-isolation groups?

Please visit the coronavirus guidance page for the latest information regarding At Risk Patients in England.

Is there a type of consultation for Video Consultation?

Not currently, we would advise that you choose 'other' or 'triage' and add a read code from the list of remote care codes.

We would like to know what we need to do to be able to access Vision from home?

You will require a remote secure token, RDP client setup and a smartcard reader if you need access to Spine services. If you are using Spine services for EPS, then you will require some software loaded onto the PC called TSVC client. We have provided this information to a number of CCG's, CSU's and other national bodies. We would advise contacting your local IT team to work out who is purchasing these items, some are buying on mass for their area. Welsh/ Scottish practices please contact your local IT teams because national solutions have been bought. Vision will happily provide instructions on how to set all this up and these will also be added to the website for users to download.

For more information, please see Working Remotely.

How can I use video consultations?

Vision has published a new blog, which explains our position on Video Conferencing; following the Health Secretary’s call for more remote working under the digital first approach. We have different information for each of the countries so would encourage you to read the blog here. Vision is working with our Partners (Doctorlink, AccuRX and Attend Anywhere) to offer a solution.

Where do I go for all the information from Vision regarding Covid 19?

Visit the coronavirus guidance page for all the latest up-to-date information. Information is updated as the situation changes. We recommend you bookmark the page and review it on a regularly.

Do we need to do anything specific to enable us to connect to Vision remotely using a smartcard?

You require a TSVC client loaded and a smartcard reader. Please contact your local Account Manager for more information.

With the new codes does the test results for Covid 19 come in automatically through Mail Manager like bloods?

This is very dependent on the Pathology Lab you are receiving information from. Mail Manager will be able to receive messages. For practices in England, please see the article here about receiving 111 messages.

Can Vision automatically flag high risk patients?

Yes, both Clinical Audit and Vision+ will flag up high risk patients automatically. A yellow reminder has been set to generate from the new Covid 19 clinical audit and from SIS 10500, the Vision+ popup will show real-time patient-specific alerts.

Is there a possibility of an IT fix to bulk activate Key Information Summary Records (KIS)?

KIS records are a nationally managed solution, changes to which must come from National Services Scotland (NSS).

Note - Where the patient consents to KIS, medical history priority 1 items are automatically included, see here.

Have support times changed?

The helpline are now working remotely but are still offering the same level of service and opening hours. You can also speak to your local Account Manager with any questions, problems or concerns. Click here to view all the support information and contact details you need.

Can you advice on the Online Patient Messaging App?

The Messaging App is a good way to communicate with your patients and can be launched from the App Controller within the V3 software, see the help file here.

Is Vision Anywhere available in Northern Ireland?

We are working with the BSO in NI to reach an agreement but currently the software is not available to our users in NI. We hope to have more information shortly.

Useful Hints and Tips more managing patient care during the Coronavirus Pandemic

Note - For detailed guidance on any of the following hints and tips, select the links provided or click here to visit our comprehensive Knowledge Base.