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Hospital Appointment Reminder Service

Woman holding a mobile phone

Text Reminders

Healthcare Communications is a proven technology that is used widely throughout the NHS. It has shown to save millions of pounds in wasted appointments and release staff time to care.

This text reminder service helps our patients to remember their appointment details and reduce the number of missed appointments. 

The reminders will include: 

  • Type of appointment e.g. face-to-face, telephone or video appointment
  • Name, date and time, location of the appointment 

Text reminders allow patients to cancel or amend appointments by sending a text response. This helps to improve clarity and is particularly useful for patients who are attending multiple appointments or if a contact telephone number is used for multiple family members.

Timescale

The hospital appointment reminders are sent to patients seven days and/or forty-eight hours before their appointment. This allows sufficient time to re-allocate outpatient appointments.

What if I cannot make my appointment or need to reschedule?

Currently the reminders will tell you which number to call if you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment. You can also reply to the text message and the booking team will pick up your request and action.

Consent to opt-out of the service

We would like to reassure you that Powys Teaching Health Board is committed to protecting your personal information in accordance with the law.  We will ensure that your information is safe and only used for the legal purposes for which we can use it. As these text reminders form part of your direct care and current treatment, the health board is able to use your mobile number under UK GDPR to contact you about your appointment, unless you tell us otherwise.

If you do not wish to receive text message appointment reminders, please inform the healthcare profession or booking team and we will update your record to reflect your preference in accordance with your rights under UK GDPR. If the mobile number you enter is not your personal number e.g. it belongs to family member or friend, please ensure they are informed, and you have their permission. Receiving an appointment reminder for an appointment they are not aware of can lead to confusion and unnecessary calls to the booking centre.

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