Digital communication update

We have introduced a digital outpatient appointment booking letter and text message service across the Trust.

Since early 2022, the NHS has been impacted through disruption to supply change for stationery stock. This means that paper and envelopes are now a limited resource. We would like to thank all our patients for adapting to receiving outpatient appointment letters by SMS, which helps to reserve the now limited paper and envelope stock for those patients where posted appointment letters are essential for them. 

We will send you a text message with a drdoctor.thirdparty.nhs.uk/OUH link, which allows you to view and download your appointment letters on your mobile phone, tablet or computer.

If you have a mobile number registered with the Trust then SMS message will become the most common method to communicate with you for:

• online outpatient appointment letters
• online self-assessment forms.

We have partnered with DrDoctor, a digital health company, to deliver this service.

Patients who prefer paper letters can still receive the above communication by post as usual.

How to view your online appointment letters

• We'll send you a text message (and email if requested) when you have a new digital appointment letter to view online
• Click the drdoctor.thirdparty.nhs.uk/OUH link in your text message to go to the secure DrDoctor website
• Click 'View letter' and log in with your last name, date of birth and post code
• View and download your new digital letter online as a pdf file. Your outpatient appointment letters will be stored here for future reference

You can log in from any device by visiting drdoctor.thirdparty.nhs.uk/OUH. When using a different device, we will send a code to your mobile phone number for security.

How to receive paper appointment letters

Patients who prefer paper appointment letters can still receive their appointment letters by post. We will automatically send you a paper letter if you don't view your digital letter.

If you want to view your letter online and receive a paper letter by post, you can request a paper letter:

• log into drdoctor.thirdparty.nhs.uk/OUH, go to the 'Settings' tab in the top right, and turn off the paperless option.
• reply PRINT to your text message notifying you that you have a new online appointment letters. The system will know to post the most recent outpatient letter to you.

How to complete online self-assessment forms

When invited to complete a self-assessment form online, we will send you an SMS text message to invite you to complete the form from 'OUH-NHS'.

• Use the drdoctor.thirdparty.nhs.uk/OUH link in the text message on your mobile phone, tablet, laptop or computer, and log in with your last name, date of birth and post code.
• Once logged in, please complete the form as accurately as possible.
• Following form completion, your answers will be reviewed by the Trust and we will get back to you with an outcome.
• If you miss a text message, don't worry: we'll send you a letter in the post.
• If you change your mind and wish to change your form response, please contact the Trust on 01865 222666.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know it is not a scam?

The digital communications come from the same mobile phone number: 07860 039 092. The link to view your online appointment letters or complete your assessment form will be drdoctor.thirdparty.nhs.uk/OUH.

Why doesn't my login work? 

The most common reasons are:

• When the appointment letter is for a family member who we have your mobile phone for (e.g. a child) you need to use their date of birth to verify.
• We have an old home address on our system. That means your printed letters would have gone to the old address too!
• We have a temporary address recorded for you, which needs us to input an end date.

If you cannot log in with your details, please contact our Patient Contact Centre on 01865 222666 or email OUH.Appointments@ouh.nhs.uk and check we have your most up-to-date:

• Full name
• Date of birth
• Post code
• Mobile phone number

I can log in but when I try to open my online appointment letters I get a 404 error message

There are two main reasons why you might get a 404 error message when trying to view your pdf file.

• The appointment letter is for a family member or relative who is registered with the same phone number or email with the hospital
• You are a patient at more than one NHS trust and when you logged in you choose the wrong Trust website to log into: if this occurs, please ensure that you are accessing the login page directly through the drdoctor.thirdparty.nhs.uk/OUH login page which is linked in your message.
  

How can I view my online appointment letters or self-assessment form on my smartphone, tablet or computer?

If you have a smartphone: 

• hold your finger on the text until the copy option appears
• select the text (if necessary)
• press 'copy'
• open a new email and address it to yourself
• in the body of the email, hold your finger in the free text space until the 'paste' option appears. 
• press paste and send yourself an email.

You may open the email from a different device, to view the correspondence.   

I would like to receive emailed outpatient appointment letters. How can I do this?

You can update your contact details at drdoctor.thirdparty.nhs.uk/OUH in the settings menu:

• log into drdoctor.thirdparty.nhs.uk/OUH
• go to 'Settings' in the top right
• click the 'Add new' button
• click 'Email'
• type in your email address
• click 'Add'.

It is not possible to receive emails without also receiving a text message.

Why have I also received an email link to view my appointment letter online?

If either DrDoctor or the Trust has an email address recorded for you, this will mean that you will also receive your invitation to your view your online appointment letters through email.

I am a young person, why have my parents rather than myself been invited to view my online letter?

From the age of 16 onwards, the Trust addresses correspondence to patients rather than parent/guardian of. Patients are encouraged to inform the Trust when it is considered appropriate for the individual patient to provide their own mobile number on their record rather than parent/guardian.

What happens if I submit updated contact details in the DrDoctor website?

Patients who receive online appointment letters are invited to update their personal details in the DrDoctor website. The Trust receives weekly reports of any new or changed mobile numbers and is using this to update your Trust record.

Does it cost me to reply to a text message?

Text message replies will be free if you have a text message bundle with your provider: otherwise you will be charged at your provider's standard rate.

You can change your digital letter setting online for free by following the link in your text messages or using drdoctor.thirdparty.nhs.uk/OUH.

I am not receiving text messages with online appointment letters - should I be?

We have now rolled out online appointment letters in departments across the Trust.

If you should be receiving online appointment letters but are not, we may not have your correct mobile number on our system. Please contact our Patient Contact Centre on 01865 222666 or email OUH.Appointments@ouh.nhs.uk and check we have your most up-to-date mobile number.

What is DrDoctor?

DrDoctor is a digital health company modernising how hospitals and patients communicate. They provide a convenient way to manage your appointments while reducing costs, saving time and developing better overall experiences for patients.

How is my data handled?

To enable us to deliver this service, we give DrDoctor only enough information to provide you with these services.

DrDoctor is accredited to the highest standards set by the NHS for protecting the healthcare information of UK citizens as certified here. For more information see DrDoctor's Privacy Policy.

What data is shared with DrDoctor?

• Details of any outpatient appointment scheduled (all of the information which would usually be provided in a posted appointment letter).
• Full name, date of birth, NHS number, full address, any contact numbers (land line and mobile and email) known to the Trust's Electronic Patient Record (EPR).
• Referral specialty data and waiting list information.

How may I opt out of further data sharing with DrDoctor?

The Trust is aware that a small proportion of patients may decide to stop any further data being shared with DrDoctor and may request that DrDoctor deletes any data already shared. This is possible by making a 'Right to Be Forgotten' or 'General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Opt Out' request by contacting:

01865 222666 / OUH.Appointments@ouh.nhs.uk