What is being tested?
NHS England is testing a primarily digital contact route for patient list maintenance. It will allow patients to update their address digitally.
what will happen in the pilot?
About 10,000 patients per month will be contacted through the digital-first route owned by NHS England.
NHS England are contacting a small sample of these patients because they hold a valid email address for them in the Personal Demographics Service (PDS).
They will ask these patients to confirm if they:
still live at the registered address NHS England have for the them
have moved to a new address in England
have left the UK, either permanently or temporarily
As soon as the patient confirms their home address or that they have moved, their record will be updated in PDS. They will get an email confirmation of any changes they have made.
If a patient does not have the highest level of identity verification in the NHS App, they will need to call the NHS England Customer Contact Centre (CCC) to confirm their address.
how are patients being contacted?
Patients will first be contacted through the NHS App, if they use it.
NHS England will send the patient an email if they do not interact with the App message within 3 days.
NHS England will send the patient a text message (SMS) if they do not interact with the email within 8 days.
If the patient does not respond to any of the previous communications within 28 days of getting the App message, NHS England will send a letter to the address they hold for the patient.
The patients GP practice will be notified via GP Links 30 days after this letter is sent to the patient.
What if a patient can’t use the NHS APp?
The patient will need to call the CCC on 0300 311 22 33
They can only use this option if their home address has not changed.
If you receive a message in the NHS App, an email, SMS or a letter from NHS England, please be aware that this is a legitimate communication. Please follow the steps in the communication.
NHS England have recently published a news article about the new features to help patients confirm their address with the NHS.