This page provides tailored guidance on Microsoft Bookings for NHSmail users. It covers an overview of Microsoft Bookings, how to manage calendars, appointment types and how to create bookings.
Guidance tailored to Local Administrators (as opposed to Booking calendar users) can be found through this link.
1. Microsoft Bookings overview
Microsoft Bookings is a scheduling tool. It is part of the Microsoft Office family of products and can be directly added to the Microsoft Teams app. The calendar in Microsoft Bookings is automatically synced with the Teams and NHSmail Outlook calendars.
The Virtual Visits solution integrates Microsoft Bookings with Microsoft Teams for NHSmail users. Thanks to Virtual Visits, Local Administrators (LAs) will be able to activate and manage Microsoft Bookings from the NHSmail Portal. NHSmail users will, in turn, be able to access Microsoft Bookings from within Microsoft Teams.
Microsoft Bookings gives calendar administrators the ability to manage appointments for a group of clinicians/healthcare professionals in a single calendar view.
Once a Bookings calendar has been created, a new email address is created for the calendar. Appointment and reminder emails are sent to the patient (the Booking recipient) via the calendar’s email address; improving security by eliminating the need to share the email addresses of clinicians.
1.1. Naming convention
-
- The calendar’s name and email address are created automatically and result from combining the organisation’s short name, followed by the service area, followed by the clinic name
- Hence the email address of the calendar is: OrgShortNameServiceAreaClinicName@nhs.net
- The Service Area field denotes the specific area the clinic is sitting under (for example cardiology, oncology, neurology)
The Bookings app allows patients to join their appointments via Microsoft Teams. This service reduces the complexity of managing virtual appointments, enabling a more secure and user-friendly experience.
1.2. Pre-requisites
To get their Bookings app licence enabled, NHSmail user accounts must be migrated to Exchange Online. Additionally, Primary or Local Administrators must enable Microsoft Bookings via the NHSmail Portal before NHSmail users can access Bookings calendars from Microsoft Teams.
The steps for LAs to enable Microsoft Bookings app for members of staff and to create new Bookings calendars are detailed in the Local Administrator Guide, available via this link.
Once members of staff have been added to a calendar, they should receive the email shown below to confirm their membership to the calendar. Once accepted, they will be added to the Bookings calendar and will be able to login to the calendar via Microsoft Teams or the Bookings app.
If users have not accepted the membership, they will not be able to be part of the calendar and booking administrators will not be able to manage their calendars on the Bookings app.
Once users have approved their membership to the calendar, they will receive a confirmation email communicating that their membership is active. Users can stop their membership to a Bookings app calendar at any time by pressing Stop membership on the same email.
1.3. Types of users on the Bookings app
There are two kinds of users that can be added to a Bookings calendar:
- Calendar Admins can book on behalf of users and can see the schedules of all users that are part of the calendar
- Calendar Viewers receive emails for appointment bookings and only see their own calendars.
1.4. Getting the Bookings app on Microsoft Teams
Once LAs from NHS organisations have enabled the Bookings app for selected staff, they will be able to open the Bookings app from within Microsoft Teams.
To add the Bookings app to Microsoft Teams please follow the steps below:
i. To open the Bookings app in Microsoft Teams, go to more added apps (three dots) and search Bookings. Click on it and the app will open within Teams
ii. Pin the Bookings app in the NHS staff member’s taskbar by a right mouse click on the icon and then press Pin
The NHS staff member’s calendar email address will need to be linked to an existing NHSmail email address. If a patient replies to an email sent from the calendar, it will be automatically forwarded to this email address, therefore, this email provided should be checked regularly.
1.5. Seeking Support
If an NHS staff member is experiencing any issues related to Microsoft Bookings, they should get in touch with a member of their local organisation’s IT Support team. Only LAs can raise tickets to the NHSmail Helpdesk.
A stable WIFI connection is required to ensure Teams calls run smoothly. Additionally, patients are recommended to download Microsoft Teams ahead of their appointments if they are going to use their mobile phones to connect to the Teams call.
2. Managing Bookings app calendars
Admin users can add and remove users from Bookings app calendars, change, add and update appointment types and schedule appointments for themselves and others from within the Bookings app in Microsoft Teams.
2.1. Adding Staff to a calendar from Microsoft Teams
Calendar admins can add staff to specific Bookings calendars from within Microsoft Teams. To add or remove users from calendars, please follow the steps below:
i. Select Add Staff from the top right corner of the Bookings app
ii. Start typing the name of an NHS colleague and click on Add
The calendar admin will then be able to see the schedules of the newly added staff member as a single page view on the Bookings app. This calendar is in-sync with Outlook, therefore, admins will be able to see their availability. Admins should only book when the Bookings calendar shows the user as being free.
LAs can also add or remove users via the NHSmail Portal. Changes from Microsoft Teams and the NHSmail Portal will synchronise automatically and will be fully visible on both platforms.
2.2. Remove a Booking calendar user from Microsoft Teams
i. Select the three dots in the right corner and go to Settings
ii. A list of staff names will appear with a trash icon next to them. Click on this icon to remove staff
iii. The calendar admin will then see a pop-up asking them if they are sure they want to delete this staff member. Click on Delete.
Once a member of staff has been deleted from a calendar, their access to Microsoft Bookings will still be enabled from their User Policy, and they will still be able to access any other Bookings calendar they are a part of.
2.3. Changing the role of Booking calendar users from Microsoft Teams
A calendar admin can change the role of the staff member from viewer to admin, in the dropdown on the right next to the name of the staff member. Select the desired role for them to have and in a few minutes, the changes will be effective.
• When a user is moved from viewer to admin, either from the Portal or from the Microsoft Bookings app within Microsoft Teams, there is a delay in the synchronisation which means the user does not get the admin level permissions instantaneously. This process might take a couple of hours to be completed. • Calendar viewers are currently not able to open Microsoft Bookings from within Microsoft Teams. Please note, nonetheless, that any Bookings that include calendar viewers will be reflected in the user’s Outlook calendar, and the calendar viewer will still be able to join Booking appointments on Microsoft Teams by clicking on the relevant Outlook calendar appointment.
2.4. Appointment Types
Appointment types are the categories of consultation that can take place in a Virtual Visit.
i. Click on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, select Settings and then click on Appointment types
ii. In the Settings, click on Add appointment type to create a new appointment type
iii. Fill in the title of the type of appointment to be created. This is a mandatory field. Please note that the title will be filled with free text
iv. The confirmation message in appointment types includes information and/or links to send to the patients. Each calendar/clinic can have their own standard wording to use in the appointment confirmation message and therefore it would be possible to include different links for different clinic surveys. The wording can be unique to each of the appointment types of a clinic
v. Add an email reminder: Specify when the reminder should be sent, the recipients (staff, attendee) and what the reminder message should be
vi. Edit or Delete existing appointment types by clicking one of the respective icons on the right
Calendar admins should not change the Business Details of the calendar from MS Teams. Calendar details should be changed by Local Administrators from the Portal.
3. Manage Bookings
3.1. Create a new booking
Calendar admins can easily create a new booking from the menu or with a simple click from the clinician/healthcare professional schedule.
i. Select + New booking. Calendar admins can either add the healthcare professional name later or find them first and then select an available slot
ii. In the new window that pops up the booking staff will be asked to fill in the necessary information such as the patient name, email and consent, time of appointment
iii. They can CC the appointment to anyone, please note that the appointment cannot be BCC’d
iv. They can add one or multiple staff (if they are staffed to that calendar) to an appointment/meeting
v. They can add internal notes that only the staff booking the appointment and the selected staff can access related to the appointment. Please note that there is a limit of 10,000 characters with spaces for the text box, and that it is not possible to add attachments to the notes
vi. Add reminders on the preferred time and date to send an email to staff and/or attendees before the appointment.
Remember to press Send when all the necessary information has been filled in.
Admins should not use special characters e.g. @# $%&*+ in the booking as special characters are not accepted.
End-users should ensure that they maintain an up-to-date calendar by actively blocking out unavailable slots to ensure that free/busy periods are accurate.
End-users should block out calendar slots where they are unavailable and should use the out-of-office function to ensure that senders are made aware of periods of absence. This is particularly important where appointments are scheduled into a user’s calendar by another user, e.g. the Virtual Visits Bookings administrator.
3.2. Edit or cancel an appointment
Calendar admins can edit details or cancel upcoming bookings by selecting it from the schedule.
3.2.1 Edit an existing appointment
- The Calendar admin can edit every field in the appointment including the name of the patient, their email address, contact number, and date of appointment
- The Calendar admin can CC the meeting to anyone by adding their email address. Please note that it is not possible to BCC the Booking
- It is possible to remove or replace staff and add more than one staff member per appointment. Please note that staff can only be added to a Booking if they are part of the Bookings calendar
- Location is Microsoft Teams Meeting by default
- Notes, visible only to the admin and staff, can be added. There is a limit of 10,000 characters with spaces for the text box, and that it is not possible to include attachments.
3.2.2 Cancel a Booking
- Calendar Admins can cancel the booking anytime by clicking on Cancel booking. A pop-up will appear to confirm the intent to cancel this appointment
- Both patient and the NHSmail user will receive an email advising the appointment is cancelled.
3.3. Responses from clinicians
Depending on the response from NHSmail users, further action may be required.
Clinicians can respond to appointments set by the organiser in three ways (Accept, Tentative and Decline).
Accept: Clinicians do not need to accept the appointment as appointments set through the Bookings app are automatically inserted into their calendars.
Tentative: If a calendar viewer responds with Tentative to an appointment scheduled by a calendar admin, the organiser and the calendar email address will receive an email with a notification (provided that the NHSmail user select Notify Organiser). Please note that no notification will be sent from within the Bookings app, and the tentative response will only be reflected by a striped colouring on the appointment.
Decline: If a clinician declines an appointment, the booking organiser will be notified by email (should the NHSmail user choose to notify the meeting organiser). It will then be up to the booking organiser to ensure the appointment is cancelled for the patient and removed from the Bookings app. This is an important step as the patient will only be notified that the appointment is cancelled if this is done through the Bookings app. Following the meeting cancellation, it will be up to NHS Staff members to agree and schedule a new appointment with the patient.
3.4. Switching between calendars
Bookings calendar users, either admin or viewer users, can only see one calendar at a time. If a user is part of more than one Bookings calendar, they can switch between calendar views from within Microsoft Teams by following the steps detailed below:
i. Click the drop-down arrow next to the calendar name
ii. Select Existing booking calendar
iii. There is the option to search for a different calendar or browse all calendars at the user’s organisation
iv. Select the desired calendar and click Done to view the selected Bookings calendar.
4. Joining a Bookings Teams Meeting
There are multiple ways to join a Booking Teams meeting. These are all listed below, accompanied by screenshot guidance:
i. Click on the Join Teams Meeting link on the original or reminder emails
ii. Open the Outlook calendar and double-click on the appointment
iii. Click Join Online in the outlook reminder
iv. Open the Teams calendar and double click on the appointment
v. When the booking email is open, click on the Join Teams Meeting logo on the Outlook header
vi. Click on the long link in the outlook email confirmation.
4.1. Bookings Teams Meeting overview
Below are some tips to help clinicians use the Microsoft Teams application and make the most of the software. Each tip has a screenshot to show them how to access it.
i. Once clinicians join the call, they will need to accept patients that are in the Lobby
ii. Clicking the camera button will turn their camera on/off to allow their patient(s) to see them – Please note, this requires a webcam or external camera to access
iii. It is possible to mute/unmute with the button below
iv. Clinicians can open/close the chat to send instant messages to their patients with the button shown below
End-users should share information cautiously and should only use the minimal amount of patient identifiable information in chat, and should always adhere to local IM&P and IG policies.
v. The button below will open the share tray to allow the clinicians to share their screen with the patients and vice versa
vi. The red dial phone icon shown below can be clicked to leave the appointment
vii. The three dots icon can be clicked to bring up a range of options available for the clinicians and their patient including; turning off incoming video, viewing meeting details and editing their device settings for example microphone and camera set up
viii. The details shared with the patient are very minimal for the confidentiality and security of the clinicians as shown below.
4.2.Post-appointment tips
Once the meeting has ended, the patient (and the NHS staff) can continue to enter the call at any time. If the patient joins the call after the clinicians have left, they will be left in the virtual lobby once more. Clinicians will not get a notification to let them know that the patient is in the lobby.
It is possible to check the calendar view functionality that exists within Teams whereby the meeting slot on the clinician’s calendar is dark navy and shows the Join button every time someone is present on the call. If the NHS staff member joins the call again, they can speak to the patient once more and will be able to see any messages sent during the original consultation.
5. Known limitations of Microsoft Bookings
There are a number of issues and limitations currently affecting the Microsoft Bookings service. These are not critical to user functionality and have been made known to the appropriate helpdesk either from Microsoft or from NHSmail. These are detailed below:
1. Calendar viewers are currently not able to open Microsoft Bookings from within Microsoft Teams. Please note, nonetheless, that any Bookings that include viewer calendars will be reflected in the user’s Outlook calendar, and the viewer user will still be able to join appointments on Microsoft Teams by clicking on the relevant Outlook calendar appointment. 2. When the calendar’s Reply Email Address is updated from the Portal, the change is not synced to Microsoft Teams. 3. When a user is moved from viewer to admin, either from the Portal or from the Microsoft Bookings app within Microsoft Teams, there is a delay in the synchronisation which means the user does not get the admin level permissions instantaneously. This process might take a couple of hours to be completed.
6. Local Organisation processes
• Where bookings are used, there is a clear process put in place for ensuring that patient confidential information is added to their primary record as soon as possible after the consultation.
• Have clear policies on record keeping, including the transcription of electronic communications.
• Undertake mailbox hygiene activities on regular basis to minimise the amount of patient identifiable data residing outside of the core care record.
• Ensure that sufficient mobile device management capabilities are in place if local policies permit the use of staff’s own mobile devices (BYDOD), including device encryption with enforced password, minimum password length, inactivity timeout and maximum number of failed password attempts (resulting in device wipe-out if exceeded).
• Ensure the appointment invitation email uses the additional information section to communicate information about preparing for the virtual consultation and what to do if the appointment is unsuitable or if problems are experienced in completing the pre-requisite activities, e.g. unable to download software or having network issues.
7. FAQs
| Question | Answer |
| Can users who are being forwarded meetings be cloaked? | Yes, when a patient has joined using the link sent to them, they are joining as a guest and will not see the email/contact information of the clinician/healthcare professional regardless of whether they were originally added into the Bookings app appointment or forwarded the invite after.
|
| How will the service email be used, and will patients see this? | The Service email is the email of the actual practice and will be linked to the shared mailbox. Patients will not see the service email however if they reply to the calendar mailbox then the response will redirect to the service email.
|
| What is the difference between Office 365 (O365) and Exchange Online?
|
O365 means having access to all the Microsoft products but Exchange Online means migrating NHS staff member’s Outlook calendar to the cloud instead of the NHSmail data servers. By doing this, they will have their outlook calendar synced to their Teams and therefore the ability to use Microsoft Bookings. As part of the Virtual Visits, it is required users have been migrated to Exchange Online. The O365 products available to NHS staff will be the products enabled by NHSmail which is Teams, SharePoint, Outlook and, in this case, the addition of the Bookings app. |
| Can Bookings app users be part of more than one Bookings calendars? | Bookings app users can be part of several Bookings app calendars. Users will have to switch between calendars from within Microsoft Bookings. Follow the steps detailed in Section 3.4 of this guide to switch between calendars. |
| Who to contact if users require support with the Bookings app? | NHSmail users and healthcare professionals who require support with the Bookings app should contact their local IT Support teams. |
| Can users be added to a Bookings calendar even if they have not been enabled by a Local Admin to use Microsoft Bookings? | NHSmail users that have been migrated to Exchange Online can be added to a Bookings calendar regardless of whether their Local IT Support team has enabled their access to Microsoft Bookings via de NHSmail Portal.
In this case, users will receive the email to confirm their inclusion to the Bookings calendar but will not be able to open the Bookings app. Users will need to contact their Local IT Support team to ensure Microsoft Bookings is added to their User Policy from the NHSmail Portal. |
| What happens when a user is deleted from a calendar? | If a user is deleted from a calendar, they will not be able to access that calendar anymore and won’t be able to be added to Bookings done from that calendar.
If said user is part of more than one calendar, they will continue to be a part of the other calendars. Finally, the Microsoft Bookings will continue to be enabled for that user from the NHSmail Portal even if they are deleted from all Bookings calendars. |
