Patients are now able to receive their outpatient clinic and treatment appointments by SMS text reminders and access critical appointment information from their mobile phone.

The first phase of this exciting innovation launched in May 2023 with all outpatient clinic appointment letters available in digital format. The next phase of the project has now launched with all treatment appointment letters for chemotherapy, radiotherapy available digitally, and radiology letters due to go live in June.

View your appointment letters from your mobile phone

image of mobile phone in a person's hand with the headline 'Get your hospital letter sent straight to your mobile!'If you have a smartphone then you will not need to wait for your appointment letter to arrive in the post as you can view your appointment with one click. This new digital way of sending letters will also feature SMS text reminders to confirm the time and date of your appointment.

Don’t worry about missing a letter - if you don’t open the digital letter within 48 hours - a hard copy will be sent to you in the post. If you don’t have a smartphone, or you’ve not given us your mobile number, you will continue to receive paper letters in the post.

You can also opt-out of digital letters if you prefer to continue to receive your appointment letters by post.


Benefits and features of the new service

  • Option to create a personal digital patient portal account to access all your correspondence anywhere, anytime and from any device
  • Never miss an appointment - automatically add the appointment to your phone calendar with a reminder notification
  • Access all essential reading and patient information associated with your appointment
  • Empowers you to take an active role in your own healthcare
  • Translate the letter into 98 different languages
  • Read aloud in 40 languages
  • Make the text size of the letter larger and easier to read
  • The system has the ability to confirm, reschedule or cancel the appointment instantly on screen - saving your time and helping offer the appointment slot immediately to another patient
  • Plan your travel plans with a real time traffic map
  • Simply scan the QR code sent to your phone with the letter at the self check-in kiosks when you arrive for your appointment
  • Send an instant email copy of the appointment letter direct to your employer as proof of attendance
  • The SMS text reminder feature is hoped to help cut the number of missed appointments
  • Reduce postage costs and the Trust's carbon footprint


What you need to do

1. Update your contact details

Make sure we have your correct mobile number. You can do this by speaking with one of our reception desk team; contacting your Consultant's secretary or emailing nlg-tr.patientaccesscallcentre@nhs.net including your full name, date-of-birth and postcode, or your NHS number (if you know it) and current mobile number.

2. Register for an account

Create your own personal portal to access your appointment letters. When you open your first digital letter from us you’ll be given the option to create a patient portal by providing a username and password. If you do this, you’ll be able to log in to see all your correspondence anywhere, anytime and from any device - all in one place.
(You can choose to not set up a patient portal account and just view the individual letter and essential reading via the link sent to your mobile phone when it is are issued.)

OR

3. Opt-out of digital letters

If you prefer to receive your appointment letters by the post, you can opt-out by emailing nlg-tr.patientaccesscallcentre@nhs.net including your full name, date-of-birth and postcode, or your NHS number (if you know it).

How it works

1. When an appointment is made for you, you will receive a SMS text invitation to your digital appointment letter, with a link and a PIN code. The text will come from NHS CCC and look like this:

Digital_letters.jpg

2. Click the link (or copy it to your tablet or PC), enter the PIN code and your Date of Birth to see your letter.
*If you don't access the link within 48 hours - a hard copy will be sent to you in the post.

3. Click to confirm, or contact the telephone number on your letter if you wish to reschedule or cancel the appointment (0151 556 5000 Option 3 from the main menu).*The system will eventually have the option to confirm, reschedule or cancel at the click of a button - but initially patients will be required to telephone the booking team to reschedule or cancel.

4. Add the appointment to your phone calendar.

5. Click the button to access 'Essential Reading' this will include any clinic-specific instructions, essential reading and hospital information.

6. Seven days before your appointment we'll send an SMS text reminder.

7. You'll get another SMS text reminder 48 hours before your appointment.*If you don't click the link within 48 hours - a hard copy will be sent to you in the post but you will still receive the SMS text reminders seven days and 48 hours before your appointment.

All subsequent appointment letters will be issued as above.

Next time, log in with a username and password to view all your correspondence in one place

If you choose to register for a patient portal account with a username and password, the next time you receive a SMS text notification letter alert, you will instead be invited to log in to your account with your user name and password. You can then view all your correspondence, past and future appointments in one place.

This helpful video explains the process and its benefits

The video below gives helpful instructions on how to access your digital letter

If you have any comments or concerns about this new way of issuing Outpatient appointment letters, please speak to your specialist cancer team or your Consultant's secretary.