Help us manage our outpatient waiting lists
Please look out for a text message from us
Many patients have been waiting a long time to receive the treatment they need due to the COVID pandemic. We are working hard to see patients as quickly as possible.
To help us understand if patients’ circumstances have changed over the last year, we are using a new text message and online question service. We have partnered with our digital solutions provider, DrDoctor to provide this service.
If you do receive this text message, please do not ignore it - your response is crucially important to help us manage our waiting list.
Follow the link in your text message to let us know if you still need your appointment.
How it works
- If you are waiting for an appointment, we’ll send you a a text message from +447860039092 asking you to respond to an online question.
- Follow the drdoctor.thirdparty.nhs.uk link in your message to answer the question about if you need your appointment.
- Once you have responded, we will ask you to verify your date of birth, if you are answering on behalf of someone else, please use the patient’s date of birth. This is so the booking team can confirm that the text message was sent to the right person.
- Depending on your response, you will either remain on our waiting list or if requested we will discharge you back to the care team that referred you. If you have answered the question wrong, do not worry you can go to answer the question again and you will find information about who to contact.
Please note your comments will only be used to manage our waiting lists and will not be reviewed by a clinician.
If you have a medical problem or concern, and are unsure what to do, please contact your usual healthcare provider (e.g. your GP, pharmacist or NHS 111) directly.
Frequently asked questions
Is the link in the text message trustworthy?
The drdoctor.thirdparty.nhs.uk link in your text messages are trustworthy and are delivered by our partner DrDoctor.
DrDoctor is accredited to the highest standards set by the NHS for protecting the healthcare information of UK citizens. For more information, see the NHS Data and Protection Toolkit certification and DrDoctor’s privacy policy.
Why are you asking me for my date of birth?
After you have answered the question, we will ask you to confirm your date of birth so the booking team can confirm that the text message was sent to the right person.
If the date of birth you give is different from the date of birth we have on record for you, we will be able to see this and follow up with you as appropriate.
If you are answering on behalf of someone else, please use the patient’s date of birth.
I gave the wrong answer what do I do?
If you have answered the question wrong, do not worry you can go to answer the question again and you will find information about who to contact.