My Online Care

What is a SMS appointment reminder?

The Trust provides a service to remind patients about upcoming appointments. This is done via a SMS text message sent to the patient’s mobile phone number.

As technology has advanced, more features have become available to the appointment reminder and we are now able to provide patients with contact details of the team in charge of the appointment alongside information about their appointment date and time. This has meant that patients are able to directly contact their appointments booking teams instead of having to go through the Trust’s central switchboard.

Additionally we are able to provide patients with a link to the patient portal where they can find a wide variety of information about their upcoming appointment. This ranges from more specific information about their upcoming appointment, for example if they need to bring anything with them, to maps about their clinic locations so that they can plan their journey to the Trust.

We are also working with DrDoctor to provide patients with even more features, for example the ability to reschedule appointments by replying back to the SMS message.

Please note SMS messages from the Trust will come from +44 7860 039092, we recommend that you save this number in your phone to avoid any confusion with potential phishing/scam messages.

How will SMS appointment reminders help me?

SMS appointment reminders are a proven way of reducing Did Not Attend (DNA) rates; this in turn has been shown to have savings for both patients and the Trust.

Where possible we try to avoid a patient from having to physically attend one of the Trust’s sites but when a physical attendance is required we hope that this can be done as quickly and stress free as possible. One way of doing this is to make sure that patients are reminded of their appointments and are provided with as much information as possible around what to expect and also who to contact in the event that a change is required to the appointment.

DrDoctor Patient Portal

DrDoctor provide the Trusts patients with a portal in order to access more information about their appointments and the clinics that they are due to be held in.

You can access the DrDoctor patient portal via either of the following links or by clicking on the link in your appointment reminder message;

https://my.drdoctor.co.uk/login or https://nhs.my

View NUH Appointments on the NHS APP

While you are waiting for your hospital appointment, operation or treatment, you can now use the NHS App to help support you while you wait to be seen.

The new NHS App features include being able to see all your appointments in one place, access supporting information, and you will have a single point of contact for your appointments.

If you already use DrDoctor patient portal you can continue to use this, and you can also use the NHS App.

For more information including how to download the NHS App, please visit www.nhs.uk/nhs-app.

Digital Health Questionnaire

We now have a new service called Digital Health Questionnaires. This will help your medical team decide if you need a face-to-face follow up appointment.

Digital Health Questionnaires will allow you to use online questionnaires that you can complete anywhere, on you mobile, tablet, or computer. Your medical team will review your questionnaire answers and contact you to discuss whether or not you need to attend a face-to-face appointment.

The Digital Health Questionnaire service is supported by DrDoctor and uses the Trusts existing SMS appointment reminder solution to send messages to patients.

How will Digital Health Questionnaires help me?

Regular monitoring of your symptoms at home will help us to make sure you are only spending time attending hospital when you really need to. We are trying to give you more choice over your time, care and experience.

Where is Digital Health Questionnaires available?

There are a number of teams that use Digital Health Questionnaires across the Trust and these are continually expanding. If you want to know if these are an option for you than please speak to you clinical team.

Oncology Patients

To find out more about how Digital Health Questionnaires works, you can view the Patient Information section below:

Patient Information

How do I use Digital Health Questionnaires?

Insert link to patient walk through

Step 1 – Sign Up

Please ensure we have an up-to-date mobile number and you haven’t previously opted out of SMS reminders.

You will receive a text message. Simply follow the link in your text message to complete your questionnaire.

The message will be sent from +44 7860 039092. Please save this number in your contacts so you know this is from your medical team.

Step 2 – Log in to the portal

Log in to the My Online Care portal either via your NHS Login or as a guest with your name, date of birth and postcode.  

To verify it is you, we will send a unique one-time code to your mobile phone. Enter this into the web page.

Step 3 – Describe your symptoms

Please answer all questions as accurately as you can so that your medical team can fully understand how you are doing.

You must report all symptoms, regardless of whether you think these are related to your care or treatment

You must complete the questionnaire yourself.

Step 4 – Submit your answers

When you have finished your questionnaire make sure you press the submit button so that your medical team can see your answers.

Step 5 – We review your answers

You may be asked to submit your questionnaire to inform your upcoming face-to-face appointment, if so, please attend your appointment as scheduled and ignore step 6. If your appointment is a digital review appointment than within a few days of completing the questionnaire, your medical team will review your submitted answers and decide if you need to attend a face-to-face appointment or weather you can continue your treatment pathway.

Step 6 – We let you know if you need an appointment

Once your questionnaire has been reviewed, you will receive a text message advising you to log on to the My Online Care portal where you will see a message from your medical team advising whether you need to attend the hospital for a follow-up appointment.

Frequently Asked Questions

I can’t complete the online questionnaire on my own. Can someone do it for me?

You must complete the questionnaire yourself. If you feel that this is not possible then please talk it over with your medical team. It might not be possible for you to use My Online Care at this time.

What happens if I feel I need to speak to my medical team face-to-face?

On the questionnaire we will ask if you wish to see your medical team. If you answer yes, your medical team will contact you to confirm your next face-to-face appointment.

Can I change my mind and go back to having my normal face-to-face clinic appointments?

Yes. Just let your team know and this will be organised for you. You can discuss with your medical team how often you visit a face-to-face and digital appointment.

Are the digital questionnaires available in other languages and formats?

The questionnaires are currently only available in English and in read-only format. We hope to extend this in the future.

What if I do not complete my questionnaire before my digital review clinic appointment?

You should attend your booked face-to-face appointment. Your medical team will inform you of this in any case.

What happens with my data?

To find out more about what we do with your data, you can download our full privacy policy here.

Online video consultations

Have your appointment with your care team from the comfort of your home with video consultations.

We will send you a text message with your secure video appointment link.

Video consultations are an easy way for you to have your appointment with the care team, without the need for you to travel to the hospital. This can save you time, money, and the difficulty of getting to the hospital.

During the coronavirus pandemic, video consultations are a safe and easy alternative to in-person appointments and allow you to see to your clinician from the comfort of your home.

We have partnered with DrDoctor to deliver this service to you.

If you do not wish to have your appointment via a Video Consultation then please contact your booking team on the number provided in either your Appointment letter or your text message reminder.

FAQs

How can I get to my video consultation from a computer or tablet?

If you have received the link to your video consultation via text message and want to join the video consultation from a computer or tablet there are two ways to do it. One way is to sign-in to the Patient Portal on your computer. Here is how you can do just that:

1. Go to https://nhs.my/NUH
2. Login with you NHS App information or enter your personal details and click "Let's go!"
3. This will send a one-time code to your mobile phone
4. Once you have entered that into the portal, you are signed-in
5. Now find the right appointment and click on it
6. You should find a "Join video room" button on the appointment details view
7. ...and that will get you in

As an alternative, you can copy-and-paste the video link from your text message into an email and send it to yourself. Open the email on the other computer and the link will still work. This is quicker and easier if you are familiar with copy-and-pasting links.

My Clinician cannot hear me

See the onscreen mute button to check you are not muted. [Image of mute/unmuted]

Check which web browser you are using. We recommend Google Chrome for PCs and Androids and Safari for Apple devices (IOS and MAC). You can download the latest version of Chrome at www.google.com/chrome and of Safari at the Mac App Store.

If you are using the most up-to-date browser, you may want to check your computers audio settings to see which microphone you are using.

Check if other software is using you microphone e.g. Skype, Zoom or Microsoft Teams

I have poor video/audio quality

This may be because your internet connection is not strong enough. You can check your internet speed online using www.speedtest.net

Your internet connection can be influenced by other people using the bandwidth (e.g. streaming shows or making other video calls). Try moving closer to the Wi-Fi router, or asking other users to temporarily stop using the bandwidth.

Please do not try and have your video consultation on the move. The quality of the video will probably be poor, or the call will break up completely, wasting your time and your doctor's. Walking to work, on the bus or in a car are all bad places to have a video consultation.

Video consultation is not working with my device or browser?

It is worth checking you are using the right browser for your device:

On a Windows laptop or desktop computer, your video consultation will work on the latest versions of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. Microsoft browsers are not properly supported but you might wish to try if you have no other option.

On Android mobile phones and other devices, video consultations should work on Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.

On iOS mobile phones and tablets (iPhone, iPad), your video consultation will work on recent versions of the Safari browser.

If you are using the recommended browser for your device and it does not work, you may be using a very old version. We strongly recommend that you upgrade to the latest browser version, not just for the sake of your video consultation but because it will give you a better and more secure experience generally!

Video consultations are compatible with most devices. However, they may not work with some older devices.

If there are any difficulties with the video consultation your clinician will phone you on your mobile number.

How do I check my audio and video are working?

Running a self-test is a quick and easy way to make sure your device is working ready for your video consultation. It only takes a couple of minutes and is the best way to ensure success.

From the waiting room, you can use the "test setup" button to access the self-test. 

To test your speakers, click the "Test" button. You should hear a short chime. If you hear nothing, it may be that your computer or mobile is currently muted, or that the volume is set very low. Check this first.

If this is not the issue, you may need to change the speaker setting on your device. You might find this in Control Panel on a Windows computer, or System Preferences on a Mac. Mobile phones and tablets have similar device settings screens. This is often necessary if using earphones or a headset.

To test your microphone, speak out loud. You should see the volume indicator under "Microphone" flashing if your microphone is working.

If not, try changing your input device from the drop-down menu.

If this does not work, it may be that your web browser has not been allowed access to your mic. You will need to find the settings on your browser to rectify this.

To test your video, close the "Settings" pop-up and you should be able to see yourself in full screen while in the waiting room (or in the top right-hand side of the screen if you're already in the consultation).

If you cannot see yourself as we have described above, make certain that the camera on your device is switched on and not covered by something.

If that is okay, you may need to change your input video preferences from the drop-down menu.

If this does not work, it may be that your web browser has not been allowed access to your camera. You will need to find the settings on your browser to rectify this.

Can I invite a family member or carer into the video consultation?

If there is someone not living with you that you wish to join your video consultation, you can forward your text message to them. Or copy-and-paste the link from the message into an email. They can use the same link and it will allow them to join the video consultation with you.

The link you receive is private to your video consultation. But this does mean that anyone you share it with can join the call.

Also, it may be appropriate to check with your doctor or the hospital first and confirm that it is okay for you to invite someone else. Imagine your appointment was at the hospital - would your doctor expect you to bring this person into the consultation room with you?

There is a limit of four people in a video consultation, including the doctor.

I cannot log in to the patient portal with my details

To access the online portal, we need your correct details on our system. Please contact your booking team on the number provided in either your appointment letter or the text message reminder and check we have your correct:

1. Full name
2. Date of Birth
3. Postcode
4. Mobile phone number

What is DrDoctor?

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

We use DrDoctor as a technology partner to deliver messages and services to you about your appointments and your care and treatment.  You can rest assured that if you get a text message from us with an nhs.my/NUH or DrDoctor link in then it is from us.

How is my data handled?

To enable us to deliver this service, DrDoctor will have access to your contact information but not detailed information about your health.

DrDoctor is accredited to the highest standards set by the NHS for protecting the healthcare information of UK citizens. For more information, see the https://my.drdoctor.co.uk/privacy.

How do I opt out?

DrDoctor is a service used by Nottingham University Hospitals to communicate with patients regarding their care. The service has been providing the Trust’s text message reminder service for patients for a number of years and has been shown to help both patients and the Trust with appointments not being missed. DrDoctor is now being expanded in the Trust to offer additional services, these services include the ability to have Video Consultations, Digital Assessments and also provide digital copies of letters from the Trust.

We at Nottingham University Hospitals take your privacy very seriously so would like to let you know that you can opt-out of using the DrDoctor services by either texting STOP to any text message that you receive, by logging into the DrDoctor portal and opting out or by contacting the Trust’s booking team. Your preference to being opted out will be recorded by the Trust and your information will no longer be passed to DrDoctor.

Please note that if you do opt-out of the DrDoctor service you will unfortunately not be able to access any of the above-mentioned services as all of the above require you to receive text messages from DrDoctor.

Islacare

Isla is a secure image and video sharing solution. Patients can capture and submit images and videos via a secure link sent to smartphones via SMS messages. Clinicians can set schedules, edit text messages, and add notes to submissions. The Isla platform automatically sorts images and videos into chronological order so progress can be viewed and compared over time.

Between July 2020 and February 2021 there was a pilot that ran in Neurology, Dermatology, Plastics, and Sexual Health. Isla was adopted by 53 users who received 2,588 submissions from 6,349 patients. The pilot received excellent feedback from clinicians and patients and 12 months of funding was awarded to continue deployment across the Trust.

The goal of the project is to deploy Isla to 31 specialties across the Trust by April 2022. The project is in the early stages of the deployment phase.

How will Islacare help me?

• Secure, fast, and convenient image and video sharing that gives an overview of your condition over time.

• Faster triaging and remote diagnosis; feedback from the pilot phase has demonstrated this, particularly in Neurology where diagnosis was dependent on a patient booking a face to face appointment to bring their clinician a video. Sometimes videos were sent via email but blocked by the Trusts firewall, sometimes they were put onto a memory stick which was lost or couldn’t be accessed due to digital security policy. Prior to Isla a clinician could expect to wait up to six months before seeing a video, during the pilot there were cases where clinicians were receiving videos within two weeks of a patient being referred to the specialty.

• Reduction in overall admin time; In addition to providing a more secure and convenient way for images and videos to be submitted and stored, Isla has also been integrated with our systems so patients are created automatically once they are booked onto a clinic that is using Isla.

Patient Initiated Follow Up (PIFU)

Many patients with long term conditions, or following hospital treatment, do not need regular follow up appointments with our hospital team. With regular follow-up appointments, some patients come to hospital at times when they are feeling perfectly well and symptom-free. These appointments may not result in any change to a patient’s treatment. But the patient will have spent time and energy putting arrangements in place to attend their appointment.

Some patients are offered 'patient initiated follow up' appointments (PIFU for short). This is where you arrange a follow-up appointment as and when you need it, rather than at routine intervals. This means you avoid unnecessary appointments, saving you time, money and stress.

If PIFU is available and suitable for you, your clinician will discuss this option with you and if you are happy, will add your name to the PIFU appointment list.

How it works

PIFU puts you in control.  You will not be given a routine follow up appointment as you may have been in the past, instead you will be provided with information on how to request an appointment, if and when you need one.

The clinician responsible for your care will tell you what symptoms or complications after treatment to look out for that would mean you should make an appointment. They will also provide you with a patient information leaflet.

You will be told how long you will be on the PIFU appointment list, this will depend on what you are being treated for. If you do not need an appointment within the specified time period, you will be discharged from the service back to your GP.  If you experience issues in the future, please contact your GP and they will manage your ongoing care or re-refer you to the hospital if it is appropriate to do so and you will need to contact your GP. They will re-refer you if you need to be seen again.

If you are added to a PIFU appointment list, you will receive an SMS text message confirming this.  The SMS will also contain a link where you will be able to access an appointment request form to initiate your follow up.

The message will be sent from +44 7860 039092. Please save this number in your contacts so you know this is from your medical team.

How do I book an appointment?

It is quick and easy to book an appointment when you need one. To do so, you should access the link previously sent to you via SMS text message.  Once you have submitted the appointment request form via this link, the details will be sent to the appointment booking team/clinician for review.  You will then be contacted with an appointment; this appointment may be at the hospital, or a telephone/video appointment.

If you have lost these details, do not worry, you can access your request form from your patient portal:

1. Login to your patient portal at drdoctor.thirdparty.nhs.uk/nuh

2. Enter your Last name, Date of Birth and Postcode.

3. Navigate to the ‘Appointments’ page, here patients who have been added to a PIFU appointment list will see ‘Request an appointment: [Specialty name]’.

4. Click ‘Start Request’ to begin and follow the steps above

To arrange a PIFU appointment you must: 

• Have agreed with the clinician responsible for your care that PIFU is appropriate for you and have been given the relevant information confirming you are on the PIFU appointment list
• Contact us within the timeframe advised by your clinician

Digital Letters

Digital Letters are an exciting new development project at NUH.  The principal aim of the Digital Letters project is to reduce the number of paper letters sent by deploying a secure digital solution provided by DrDoctor. DrDoctor would attempt to electronically deliver letters to patients, however if these are not accessed within 3 days then a physical letter will be produced and posted via the hybrid mail print solution offered by Synertec.

By using a hybrid mail print solution, the Trust will also be able to meet some of the Accessible Information Standards (AIS) by converting print communication into other accessible formats including, large font, braille, clear and easy read.

We are introducing a new digital letter and text message service across the Trust

Digital letters are currently being rolled out in a phased approached. The first phase is with Outpatient appointment letters from Medway and then move on to clinic letters. The final stages of the project will bring on board any other departments and systems used to send correspondence to our patients.

We have already gone live with Digital letters in some Gateways at the Treatment Centre, Ophthalmology, Orthoptics, 2 week wait, ENT, Oncology and Hayward House. We are currently working with various other services but whilst this Roll out is taking place patients may receive letters in different formats depending on the speciality that they have been referred, some will receive there letter digitally, some of them will be a printed letter, and some will get a mixed economy i.e., opt in for Digital but then receive printed letters or no option for Digital.

We will send you a text message from 07860039092 with an https://drdoctor.thirdparty.nhs.uk link which allows you to view and download your letters on your mobile phone, tablet or computer.

We have partnered with DrDoctor, a digital health company, to deliver this service. Patients who prefer paper letters can still receive their letters by post as usual.

How to view your Digital Letter

• We’ll send you a text message from 07860039092 (and email if requested) when you have a new digital letter to view online
• Click the https://drdoctor.thirdparty.nhs.uk link in your text message to go to your secure patient portal
• Click ‘View letter’ and log in with your last name, date-of-birth and postcode
• View and download your new digital letter online as a PDF. Your letters will be stored here for future reference
• You can login from any device by visiting https://drdoctor.thirdparty.nhs.uk. When using a different device, we will send a code to your mobile phone number for security.

How to receive paper letters

Patients who prefer paper letters can still receive their 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 by:

• Logging into your secure patient portal, going 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 digital letter

Where are Digital Letters happening?

Digital letters are currently being rolled out in a phased approached. The first phase is with appointment letters from Medway and then move on to clinic letters produced in Medical Office.  The final stages of the project will bring on board any other departments and systems used to send correspondence to our patients.   

We have already gone live with Digital letters in some Gateways at the Treatment Centre, Ophthalmology (currently Follow up appointments only) Oncology and Hayward House. We are currently working with the Central Appointments booking team, ENT, Orthoptics and Optometry to bring these services on board.