How Do Care Homes Use Telehealth and Video GP Appointments?
By sima kornbluth · Published 2025-10-19 · Last reviewed 2026-09-18
Many UK care homes now use telehealth: video or phone consultations with GPs and nurses, digital care records shared with the NHS, and monitoring equipment such as sensors that alert staff to falls. In England, every care home should be linked to a GP practice network with a regular home round. Telehealth adds to face-to-face care; it should never replace it when someone needs to be seen.
Telehealth in a care home usually means three things: video or phone consultations with GPs, nurses and specialists; digital care records that staff and NHS teams can share; and monitoring equipment such as bed or movement sensors. Used well, it helps residents get advice faster without a trip to the surgery or hospital.
It is a support for good care, not a substitute. Anyone who is unwell and needs to be examined should still be seen in person.
What does telehealth look like in a care home?
The most common forms are:
- Video or phone consultations: a GP, advanced nurse practitioner or pharmacist reviews a resident remotely, often with a care worker in the room to help.
- Remote observations: staff record blood pressure, temperature, oxygen levels and other readings and share them with the NHS team.
- Specialist input: some areas offer remote advice from community nurses, mental health teams or hospital consultants.
- Digital social care records: care plans, medicines records and notes kept electronically rather than on paper.
- Sensors and alerts: bed and chair sensors, door alerts or acoustic monitoring that warn staff when someone may have fallen or got up at night.
What is available varies by care home and by area.
How do GPs look after care home residents?
In England, the NHS Enhanced Health in Care Homes framework links each care home to a primary care network (a group of GP practices). Under the GP network contract, each registered adult care home should have a weekly "home round" supported by a multidisciplinary team, and new residents should have a personalised assessment and care plan within 7 working days of admission.
Home rounds can happen in person or partly by video. Ask the care home:
- Which GP practice or network covers the home?
- When is the weekly home round, and is it in person or remote?
- How quickly can a GP or nurse see someone who becomes unwell?
Arrangements in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are organised differently, so ask the home or the local health board or trust how GP care is provided.
What are digital care records and why do they matter?
Digital social care records replace paper notes. They make it easier for staff to spot changes, such as weight loss or a higher risk of falls, and to share information with GPs and hospitals when a resident moves between services.
Adoption has grown quickly. The government reported in December 2025 that around 80% of registered care providers in England were using digital records.
For families, digital records can mean:
- clearer information when you ask how your relative has been
- medicines recorded more reliably
- better handover if your relative goes into hospital
Ask how the home records care and whether you can see updates, with your relative's consent.
Is telehealth good for residents?
It can help in several ways:
- Faster advice: a problem can be reviewed the same day instead of waiting for a visit.
- Fewer tiring journeys: residents with frailty or dementia avoid stressful trips to a surgery or outpatient clinic.
- Earlier action: shared readings can flag deterioration before it becomes an emergency.
- Family involvement: some homes let relatives join video reviews.
There are limits too. Hearing loss, poor eyesight or dementia can make video calls hard, and some problems simply need hands-on examination. A good home will judge when remote care is enough and when it is not.
How are privacy and consent protected?
Residents have the same rights over their health information and care as anyone else. In England, CQC's person-centred care regulation requires care to reflect each person's needs and preferences.
Points to check:
- Is your relative asked for consent before a video consultation or monitoring equipment is used?
- If they cannot consent because of dementia or another condition, how is a best-interests decision made, and are you involved?
- Are cameras or listening devices used in bedrooms, and if so, why and with whose agreement?
- Who can see the records, and how are they kept secure?
If you have a lasting power of attorney for health and welfare, you may be able to make some of these decisions if your relative lacks capacity.
What can families do with the NHS App?
The NHS App lets people manage their healthcare online, such as GP appointments, repeat prescriptions and their GP record. The NHS also offers family and carer access, sometimes called proxy access, so you can use these services on your relative's behalf. Their GP surgery sets it up and checks it is appropriate, usually with your relative's agreement.
This can help you keep track of medicines and appointments, especially if your relative lives at home before moving into care.
What should I ask a care home about technology?
- Which GP practice covers the home, and how often do clinicians visit in person?
- Do you use video consultations, and who supports residents during them?
- Do you keep digital care records? Can families see updates?
- What monitoring equipment do you use, and how is consent obtained?
- How do you share information with hospitals if a resident is admitted?
- What happens at night if a sensor alerts staff?
Look at the latest inspection report too. In England, CQC reports often comment on how well a home works with GPs and other health services.
Frequently asked questions
Will my relative still see a GP in person?
They should when it is clinically needed. Telehealth is meant to add to face-to-face care, not replace it. If you feel your relative needs to be examined, ask the home to request an in-person visit.
Can I join a video consultation?
Often, yes, with your relative's agreement or where you are involved in best-interests decisions. Ask the care home to let you know when reviews are planned.
Are sensors in bedrooms allowed?
They can be used to keep people safe, such as to alert staff to falls, but should be proportionate, explained and agreed. Cameras in private rooms raise serious privacy issues and need a clear reason and proper consent or a best-interests decision.
Does every care home use digital records?
Not every one, but most registered care providers in England now do. Ask the home what system it uses and how families can get updates.
Is telehealth available in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?
Yes, video consultations and digital records are used across the UK, but GP arrangements for care homes are organised differently in each nation. Ask the home or local health board or trust.
Key takeaways
- Telehealth covers video consultations, shared digital records and monitoring equipment.
- In England, each care home should have a linked GP network and a weekly home round.
- Remote care should add to, not replace, in-person examination.
- Residents' consent and privacy must be respected, with best-interests decisions where needed.
- Ask each home specific questions about GP cover, records and monitoring.