Community Forum
Request Access to The Clinical Exchange
SCAN, the Specialist Clinical Access Network, connects healthcare professionals and practices across optical, dental, aesthetics, hearing and wider healthcare in a credential-verified, independent community. Free access to the Water Cooler, encrypted peer-to-peer messaging, and the Locum Exchange, where locums and practices post locum work and cover. Full membership is £5/month for podcasts and business skills training, the cost of a cup of coffee.
Membership
Two ways in, one clinically safe room
Free Tier
£0 /month
Essential community access
- Water Cooler access
- Encrypted peer-to-peer messaging
- Locum Exchange: post or find locum work and cover
- Qualified overseas healthcare professionals
To work in the UK as an internationally qualified healthcare professional, you must first secure credential evaluation or registration with the relevant UK regulator, for example the General Optical Council (GOC) for optical roles or the General Dental Council (GDC) for dental roles, and obtain a sponsored visa, typically a Health and Care Worker visa, or a Temporary Work (Government Authorised Exchange) visa for optical pre-registration.
Full Membership
£5 /month
The cost of a cup of coffee
- Everything in the Free Tier
- Podcasts
- Business skills training
Why SCAN
Independent. Verified. Already live.
Registration includes verification. Not another open social feed.
Runs on NeedAnOptom’s existing Clinical Exchange, already operating today.
Not run by a professional association or regulator. Built by people who’ve walked in your shoes.
Get started
Request access
Questions
Before you request access
Is there enough activity yet?
The Clinical Exchange is live today, built on NeedAnOptom’s existing forum infrastructure. SCAN is the next layer on top of a community that’s already running.
I already have WhatsApp/Facebook groups.
Those aren’t credential-verified, and conversations get lost fast. SCAN is a clinically safe, independent space built specifically for healthcare professionals.
What exactly do I get for £5/month?
Podcasts and business skills training, on top of everything in the free tier, including Water Cooler access and encrypted peer-to-peer messaging.
I don’t have time for another platform.
The Water Cooler and Locum Exchange are free, low-pressure ways to dip in when useful, not another daily obligation.
Is this actually independent?
Yes. SCAN isn’t run by any professional association or regulator. It’s built by NeedAnOptom, for healthcare professionals.