How we contact you may change

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We are adding to the methods we use to contact our patients to help keep NHS costs down.

Did you know that SMS messages cost the NHS Money?

When your GP practice sends you text messages about appointments or events, it can cost them money. This is because long messages are broken up into smaller parts, which increases the cost.

Have you hear of fragments?

What is a fragment

When your GP Practice contacts you by text message the message is made up of fragments. 160 text characters is equal to one fragment. Go above this text limit of 160 and you go into a second fragment, then a third and fourth and so on.

Why fragments matter

It matters to the NHS as each fragment costs money and when you have thousands of patients receiving text messages the costs begin to mount. It costs £1000s to the NHS

What can your GP Surgery do?

Your surgery could shorten all text messages and remove any links or emojis. But sometimes this is not helpful. So instead of sending a short meaningless text message, they could send you an email that is easier to read, contains links to additional information, though it doesn’t cost anything compared to sending a text.

You can help the NHS save money in one of two ways

1. Registering with the NHS App

• Download the NHS App and turn on notifications. This is a great way to recieve timely alerts and notifications from your surgery.
  • Free notifications about appointments
  • View your medical records
  • Order repeat prescriptions
  • Find other NHS services

2. Provide your email address

• If your gp practice asks for your email address, please share it consent to recieving emails from them. Emails are free to send to our patients

By taking these two small steps, you will be making a positive impact to the NHS allowing more money to be spent on patient care

NHS App help and support

Published: Dec 3, 2024