Read Mumsnet users feedback on isoshealth

[YanaMumsnet]

This is the feedback thread for the 50 testers who tried out isoshealth. Testers booked in one-to-one video appointments with Registered Practitioners, focusing on mind, body or nutrition.

Here’s what isoshealth CEO has to say about their service:
“40 % of recorded deaths in UK are Lifestyle related, 1 in 3 of our secondary school of age 10-11 children are obese or overweight. Access to these services through NHS are shrinking. We are a business that believes in human conversations making the most difference.
We connect consumers with our hand-picked practitioners who want to help them feel better via one-to-one video consultations. An integrated team providing advice precisely tailored to their individual life circumstances.
This personalised approach breaks down the barriers that hold so many people back from getting the help they need. We give everyone the opportunity to benefit from the proven winning-formula of a multidisciplinary team, the same approach that get results in the world of professional sport: a Dietitian, Physiotherapist and Psychologist.”

Testers please answer the following questions:

• What were your initial thoughts on the service (ease of registering, ease of booking in the appointments, look and feel of the website?)
• What did you like the most about using this product?
• If you could improve one thing in the overall process and service, what would it be?
• What, if anything, surprised you about the experience?
• On a scale from 1 to 5 (1=not at all likely, 5=very likely), how likely are you to recommend this product to a friend? Please tell us why is that.
• Who do you think would benefit the most from isoshealth?

For privacy reasons, please do not give the names of individual practitioners when giving your feedback.

Selected testers will be required to leave their feedback on a thread on Mumsnet. All who give their feedback will be entered into a prize draw where one tester will win a £300 voucher for the store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs Apply

I was holding off till I had an appointment to answer as everyday since registering all I’ve done is book and reschedule. Until coming here and seeing most people have had a similar experience so here goes my feedback:

• What were your initial thoughts on the service (ease of registering, ease of booking in the appointments, look and feel of the website?) It was fairly easy to register. I completed the website forms on my desktop and though it seemed longwinded I knew it was so as to get all the vital information etc

• What did you like the most about using this product?

I liked that there was the option to book evening slots but can’t comment further as I never got to try it as practitioners kept cancelling my booking despite showing as available on the booking.

• If you could improve one thing in the overall process and service, what would it be?

Making sure the correct availability for practitioners were displayed to avoid cancellations. Also having the option to change your team of practitioners to match your availability as some are only available twice a week and that excludes weekends which would’ve been ideal.

• What, if anything, surprised you about the experience?

That you can book a slot and then have it cancelled as unavailable even though it’s still listed as available. I wonder if it’s because we’re using the mumsnet freebie code?

• On a scale from 1 to 5 (1=not at all likely, 5=very likely), how likely are you to recommend this product to a friend? Please tell us why is that.

N/A A’s didn’t get to try it but not happy with the many cancellations.

• Who do you think would benefit the most from isoshealth? Having a Skype or virtual chat to a practitioner from the ease and comfort of your home.

I've had my appt now, so to further update my feed back.
After having technical issues first time round, having to cancel my 2nd (my fault)
It was 3rd time lucky.
My dietician was able to give me lots of information and tips, however, the video and sound quality wasn't good. The video kept dropping, and the sound made it hard to hear what was being said.
After about 20 minutes, I lost contact completely, and couldn't reconnect.
What was nice though, was logging back in, and having a brief note from the dietician going over what we had covered.

• What were your initial thoughts on the service (ease of registering, ease of booking in the appointments, look and feel of the website?)

Registering was fine. I thought the process of not having a password, but having to use an emailed code saved me having to remember yet another password, which was a refreshing change.
The appointment booking for 2 of my chosen therapists was straightforward, but one seemed to not be available for most of their suggested time slots. Too much to write here, but after an awful lot of hassle, including a phonecall from isoshealth, I won’t be attempting to rearrange my appointment.
The website looks slick at first glance but usability can be poor, and I gave up trying to use it from a mobile device.

• What did you like the most about using this product?

The concept. The idea that I could speak to a therapist without having to take the time out and/or juggle childcare in order to speak to a therapist is a great idea. The late evening availability is also useful as it can wait until the children are in bed.

• If you could improve one thing in the overall process and service, what would it be?

The execution. The booking process was not good. Also the quality of the video connection with one of my therapists made it almost unusable. I wouldn’t have been happy if I was paying for the service.

• What, if anything, surprised you about the experience?

The helpfulness of one of the therapists. My physical therapist was great. Helpful, friendly and genuine, with some really good advice which I am putting into practice.

• On a scale from 1 to 5 (1=not at all likely, 5=very likely), how likely are you to recommend this product to a friend? Please tell us why is that.

1
Assuming a friend would have to pay for the service, I feel that it’s not ready yet to release to the world, and until web interface/quality issues are ironed out, I wouldn’t recommend it.

• Who do you think would benefit the most from isoshealth?

I used it as someone looking for reassurance that I was doing the right things in a holistic view of my lifestyle. In this respect, I found it useful, and would expect that people just needing a bit of reassurance that they are on the right track would benefit the most.

What were your initial thoughts on the service (ease of registering, ease of booking in the appointments, look and feel of the website?)

• What did you like the most about using this product?

I found it easy to set up the first appointment, and not too many questions on registration. I was chosen to test a mental health check. My first practitioner cancelled on me and the second had internet issues, so it was not very easy to do the consultation. Plenty of email reminders and a text an hour before to remind me it was easy to rebook as well.

• If you could improve one thing in the overall process and service, what would it be? I think as this is a new service it need to be running a little longer to iron out issues. I found it a bit annoying and if I had paid I wouldn't have wanted to waste 2 days staying in for a consultation that didn't happen. I didn't like that I had to load the site on chrome as I don't use it. It was a bit annoying. It would be great if you could link on a tablet or phone.

• What, if anything, surprised you about the experience?

It was very easy, and the lady I spoke to was lovely and friendly. I was surprised how easy the video conference was.

• On a scale from 1 to 5 (1=not at all likely, 5=very likely), how likely are you to recommend this product to a friend? Please tell us why is that.

I am not sure I would recommend it at the moment, but when it has been running for a while I can see it would be great for busy people.

• Who do you think would benefit the most from isoshealth? Perfect for people who work from home and would like health advice.

What were your initial thoughts on the service (ease of registering, ease of booking in the appointments, look and feel of the website?)

Really easy to do. I liked that you could give a lot of background information in advance to save time during the appointment. The website was easy to use.

They recommended that I have an appointment with a psychologist as I have struggled with my weight all through my life. This was brilliant as I have a good grasp on healthy eating, but struggle to implement it. Also because I am a carer for my son who has autism and mental health difficulties and she had a good understanding of his condition and how to work around it.

What did you like the most about using this product?

I liked the face to face aspect, but from the comfort of my home. Because my son is not in school it's impossible for me to see a counselor or get to any appointments so it was brilliant to be able to do it from home.

If you could improve one thing in the overall process and service, what would it be?

It would be good if you could use a phone or tablet instead of a laptop as I had to borrow one. But I don't know whether the tech is appropriate for that.

• What, if anything, surprised you about the experience?

How comfortable I felt. I was a bit worried it would feel impersonal but it didn't at all.

On a scale from 1 to 5 (1=not at all likely, 5=very likely), how likely are you to recommend this product to a friend? Please tell us why is that.

I would say a 5. Just because it was so easy to use and I found it so helpful.

Who do you think would benefit the most from isoshealth?

I think people like me, who can't make it to appointments for whatever reason. It's a lot easier to take a half hour out in your bedroom or wherever than to try and get to an appointment when you have a really busy life. Also people who live rurally who might have a long distance to travel to get to appointments.

Overall I was really happy with my experience and may book another session in future. The psychologist was really understanding and gave me some good starting points to work on. She was aware that this was my only session so recommended me some books, one of which I am definitely going to get as it's from the same series as one I had for my son and was really good. She also summarised things in an email, along with the book titles so I have it to refer back to.

What were your initial thoughts on the service (ease of registering, ease of booking in the appointments, look and feel of the website?)
Seemed like a professional website, not too much information and quick loading.

• What did you like the most about using this product?

Convenience of using at home at a time convenient to busy lifestyle

• If you could improve one thing in the overall process and service, what would it be?

Really needs to be useable on iPad as most people use this. Had a lot of issues connecting.

• What, if anything, surprised you about the experience?

N/a

• On a scale from 1 to 5 (1=not at all likely, 5=very likely), how likely are you to recommend this product to a friend? Please tell us why is that.

I would score a 4 as it is a really useful tool and with the right equipment it would work well I think.

• Who do you think would benefit the most from

Busy people who can’t get to GP appointments easily during the week, and who feel their issues wouldn’t be worth seeing a GP about.

1. My initial feeling was positive. The website looked good and it was easy to register and book appointments.

1. What I liked most was being able to pick a time for a health appointment and do it at home.

1. An improvement would be more availability of the Practitioner, though this was carried out over the holiday period.

1. I was surprised by how quickly half an hour went and also that there were technical problems as my laptop is new and expensive!

1. 4 - I would recommend the service for some people, mainly those with disposable incomes with no serious health issues as I am unsure how qualified the Practitioners are.

1. Those that would benefit the most would be those who wanted to actively improve their health and who are articulate and concise.

Ok so I finally managed to have a physical health and nutrition appointment after several tries (still awaiting the mental health but think I'll leave it off).

• What were your initial thoughts on the service (ease of registering, ease of booking in the appointments, look and feel of the website?)

Easy to set up although lots of questions but it all makes sense about the questions later on as several consultants referred to my answers during consultation.

• What did you like the most about using this product?

I liked the conversation feel of the consultation and technology didn't make you feel impersonal which was good. Also the different options of the timing slot during the evenings in weekdays giving the chance for working parents or otherwise to arrange an evening slot.

• If you could improve one thing in the overall process and service, what would it be?

Offer weekend sessions and allow you to change your consultants as you only get 1 chance to choose a set (that you're highly matched to).

• What, if anything, surprised you about the experience?

That consultants have available slots that later turn out to be unavailable but still on display.

• On a scale from 1 to 5 (1=not at all likely, 5=very likely), how likely are you to recommend this product to a friend? Please tell us why is that.

4 - likely to recommend and great to trial for free too as not sure if it's a service I'd be willing to pay for before trying out.

• Who do you think would benefit the most from isoshealth?

Great option of speaking to experts in desired field from the comfort of your home.

I haven't specifically been asked to post on this thread but I was originally a tester so here goes:

Testers please answer the following questions:

• What were your initial thoughts on the service (ease of registering, ease of booking in the appointments, look and feel of the website?)

I found some basic grammar/typo errors that made it look unprofessional. I didn't like getting a password every time. Rather than a second layer of authentication, it made me feel like I was joining up anew every time.

• What did you like the most about using this product?

In theory the idea (remote medical help) is a great idea

• If you could improve one thing in the overall process and service, what would it be?

Let users have a proper login.

• What, if anything, surprised you about the experience?

It didn't work for me. On my first login I could get as far as booking but as I was at work I didn't complete it. When I tried at home I could only get as far as having to pay. The help chat (got a response via email) suggested I log in via an incognito window but a) it didn't work and b) I don't think end-users should have to do that kind of work. In the end I gave up.

I was also surprised that by answering one question slightly differently, I was offered very different practitioners. I'd liked to have chosen between all of them.

• On a scale from 1 to 5 (1=not at all likely, 5=very likely), how likely are you to recommend this product to a friend? Please tell us why is that.

1 - at the moment it is buggy and not professional.

• Who do you think would benefit the most from isoshealth?

Patients who can't take time out of their day to see a doctor, or who need more reassurance than their GP can give, or people in remote locations.

• What were your initial thoughts on the service (ease of registering, ease of booking in the appointments, look and feel of the website?)

Initial thoughts were fantastic, registering was super quick and easy but with enough information taken for things to be personalized and relevant. Booking also seemed easy

• What did you like the most about using this product?

I liked that a practitioner with relevent qualifications to my health issues was automatically recommended to me

• If you could improve one thing in the overall process and service, what would it be?

To only make bookable appointments that actually exist - I twice booked an available appointment and it was twice cancelled by the practitioner saying he was showing as available but wasn't. As the system didn't let me change practitioner I was unfortunately unable to have an appointment.

• What, if anything, surprised you about the experience?

How easy and clever it initially seemed only for it to all not work

• On a scale from 1 to 5 (1=not at all likely, 5=very likely), how likely are you to recommend this product to a friend? Please tell us why is that.

1 - because despite my best efforts it just wasn't fit for purpose

• Who do you think would benefit the most from isoshealth?

Nobody yet until issues have been resolved, it has good potential though

• What were your initial thoughts on the service (ease of registering, ease of booking in the appointments, look and feel of the website?)

My first thoughts were it was really easy to book an appointment, the websites interface was very simple and easy to use. There were frequent reminders about the appointment date and time once signing up and booking the initial appointment and also an option to change the appointment for a more convenient time if needed.

• What did you like the most about using this product?

I was given the opportunity to have a one to one session with a dietician, at first given the original information I had put in I wasn’t sure if a dietician was what I really needed. It was great to speak with someone that had actually read everything about me and thought of serious ways they could better my health and ideas of tools I could use to help me going forward before we spoke, which then meant the time we had was focused more on solutions to where things could be going wrong rather than me wasting time going though a long list of problems I have.
The dietician I spoke with was very professional and knowledgeable and also very quickly made me feel at ease as I was a little skeptical at first with doing a video call online with a specialist, but now I can definitely see the benefits of being able to use the service absolutely anywhere at a time that is convenient for you, meaning you can fit necessary appointments around our already busy lives. Although we had only 30 minutes we managed to get key elements discussed put a real plan in place that could help me identify what exactly what is causing me problems. The specialist was very understanding and made me realise that through just small changes in my diet could have a massive impact on my overall health and well being, she made me realise a lot of simple things that I didn’t think would have an effect on other illnesses I have and linked everything together nicely, giving me more peace of mind and hope that with small changes to how and when I eat and drink could have a positive impact on my health, she made me feel that everything was achievable and it wouldn’t be necessary for me to make drastic sudden changes that I might not be able to keep up with.

• If you could improve one thing in the overall process and service, what would it be?

Improvement wise I think the only thing I’d find a little helpful would be to have a break down of what sort of things we would be discussing, or some questions that I could think about to discuss with the specialist before our appointment.

• What, if anything, surprised you about the experience?

The thing I found most surprising was how much we managed to discuss in a short space of time, it felt like because the specialist already knew so much about all of my medical conditions and my concerns, she knew ways she could help already and understood me in a way that most other specialists wouldn’t before a face to face appointment. The research she had put in to my background gave her a better understanding of me and made me feel more at ease because she understood me as a whole and not just my dietary needs.

• On a scale from 1 to 5 (1=not at all likely, 5=very likely), how likely are you to recommend this product to a friend? Please tell us why is that.

I would definitely recommend the service to a friend, because I believe in our busy lives this is definitely a service that is needed to be able to speak to specialists we need in our ever growing busy lives, where you can feel that you are actually being listened to and understood.

• Who do you think would benefit the most from

I think the service would definitely benefit busy people who work all hours and can’t fit appointments into the normal hours that different specialists would, it would also be beneficial for busy mums and people that struggle to get out for appointments, I think it’s a valuable service that people can use at anytime of the day based on their needs, whether it’s when they have 30 minutes spare at lunch time, just before they leave the office, once they get home, or when they know the little ones have a planned nap, it’s great it can be tailored around each individuals needs.

• What were your initial thoughts on the service (ease of registering, ease of booking in the appointments, look and feel of the website?) easy to use but had to keep refreshing the page initially to see appointment availability.
• What did you like the most about using this product? log in at home at a time that you have chosen and is convenient, no need to take time off work or drag children along to an appointment.
• If you could improve one thing in the overall process and service, what would it be? The wait time at the start of your appointment, having to sit watching a screen count down.
• What, if anything, surprised you about the experience? Quality of the practitioners and the choice of practitioners.
• On a scale from 1 to 5 (1=not at all likely, 5=very likely), how likely are you to recommend this product to a friend? Please tell us why is that. 4, good service, great advice and convenient ( only reason it's not a 5 due to some technical issues)
• Who do you think would benefit the most from isoshealth? Working parents, no more trying to juggle work commitments, childcare and booking an appointment.

Initial thoughts were that it seemed quite professional. Easy to register and book an appt.

What did I like most? Not sure. Very hard to think of a positive relating to the whole experience. Was pleasant enough chatting to my consultant, but didn't feel massively enamoured, or like I was given life changing advice.

What I would improve - I think they seem very new. I think they seem time constrained. They need to learn from this. It's all quite rushed. And that is bad enough if you are visiting your GP. You shouldn't feel like that if you are paying for a service. It had a real feel to it that they had almost done a Groupon / Wowcher deal and couldn't keep up with demand or offer the service they promised.
Also they need to make it clear from the start that you need to be on a good laptop. It's not supported via smartphone. Or at least they discourage you from using a phone.

What surprised me? How my appointment was late. How I was told I would get an email detailing what we had discussed (i didn't) how much my consultant seemed to be rushing me and apparently looking at the clock / was distracted by some sort of countdown while already late.

Scale of 1 to 5 = 1 (see my previous comments)

Who do I think would benefit? I honestly don't know. I got the impression my consultant knew I was on a Freebie. She sort of mumbled how I might like to book some further (paid) appointments, but she probably knew I wasn't going to to that.
It felt very much like a PR exercise without a whole lot of thought or effort.

Thanks for choosing me to try this service. I'm always honest, and am usually very pleased to give positive feedback.

Thanks all for taking part in this product test and leaving your feedback.

The prize draw winner is @SusanWalker**