Joining a virtual appointment
Join the virtual waiting room
10 minutes before the scheduled time of the virtual appointment, sit with your child in a quiet place and join the virtual waiting room on your device.
Each hospital service has its own virtual waiting room. A link to the correct waiting room can be found in the SMS that you recieved prior to the vitual appointment.
If you can't find the SMS, or would like to join from a different device, you can select the waiting room link from the list below. The name of the correct hospital service can be found on the appointment letter you recieved after booking the virtual appointment.
List of virtual waiting rooms
If you don't have a scheduled appointment do not connect to a virtual waiting room, as you will not be connected with a member of staff.
The Children's Hospital at Westmead
Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick
Final steps to join
Allow access to your camera and microphone
Prior to entering the virtual waiting room, your device will ask if you would like to allow access to your camera and microphone. It is important that you allow access to both, as this will ensure that the virtual appointment will go ahead smoothly.
Enter your name and phone number
After you open the waiting room link, you will be asked to type your name and phone number. This information is important, as it allows our team to verify and ensure that you're correctly connected to your child's clinician.
Enable Do Not Disturb
If you're joining the virtual appointment from a smartphone or tablet, please enable the Do Not Disturb function on your device. This will ensure that you, your child and their clinician will not be disrupted during the appointment. Remember to turn off Do Not Disturb once the appointment has ended.
Wait for the clinician to join
Once you have successfully joined the virtual waiting room, please wait for your child's clinician to admit you to the virtual appointment.
Our healthcare workers try their hardest to ensure appointments run on time. Unfortunately, some appointments may start and/or finish late.
Once you're admitted to the virtual appointment, please:
- allow a moment for the video call connection to establish
- introduce yourself and anyone else in the room with you
- inform your child's healthcare provider if you are expecting another person to join.
During the appointment, make sure to limit background noise and be aware of your surroundings to ensure the clinician can hear you and your child well. When someone speaks wait until they are finished before talking as you may cut each other off if you speak at the same time.
Experiencing issues?
Microphone and camera issues
If you have any issues with your microphone and camera, it may be because your browser or device settings may need to be changed.
If your settings are correct but an issue persists, you can troubleshoot common video and audio problems.
Internet connection issues
If your internet connection is dropping out during the call, it may not meet the minimum requirements for video calling. If you experience this issue while using wi-fi, switching your device to a cellular connection (4G/5G) may help resolve the issue and vice versa.
Support
If you continue to experience issues throughout the call, you can contact the hospital service directly or contact the dedicated video call service desk:
Phone: 1800 580 771
Email: videocallsupport@healthdirect.org.au