SMS reminders are going live at the end of March for patients waiting for an outpatient appointment.

SMS reminders are going live at the end of March for patients of North Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals Trust (NLAG) waiting for an outpatient appointment.

Every month around 10 percent of patients fail to turn up for their appointment. It’s estimated each outpatient appointment costs around £160, so if you miss your slot you’re not only wasting NHS time but also costing the health service money too.

The new, improved text message service will not only send you a reminder of the time and date of your appointment seven days in advance, but it will also give you the option to confirm, cancel or rebook. Another text message will be sent 48 hours before your appointment giving further details about where to go if it’s a face-to-face appointment, or details on how to access it if it’s a virtual appointment e.g. over the telephone or via video call.

As part of the Trust’s move over to digital appointment letters for outpatients the Trust already have many patients mobile numbers, but if they don’t have your  number, or you’ve recently changed it, make sure you can take advantage of this new service by updating your contact details with them – just email nlg-tr.patientaccesscallcentre@nhs.net with your new number along with your full name, date of birth, post code and if you know it your NHS number.

Other ways you can tell us you can’t make your appointment

If you don’t have a smartphone, so can’t access the digital appointment portal, or you don’t have any way of receiving text messages for the SMS reminders you can also:

• Fill out the ‘rearrange of cancel your appointment’ form on the NLAG website: https://www.nlg.nhs.uk/patients/appointments/rearrange-cancel/
• Call the number on your appointment letter
• You can also find email and telephone contact details for our appointment teams here: https://www.nlg.nhs.uk/patients/appointments/appointment-teams/