Text message contact to reduce patient waiting times

East Cheshire NHS Trust has begun using SMS text messages to contact patients waiting for treatment and enabling them to make choices about the care they need.

Patients will receive a text message asking them to provide an update of their situation and to confirm whether they still require their appointment.

The text message will come from NHS No Reply and include a unique link to log into the Trust's Patient Portal. By responding to the text, patients will enable their records to be updated by the Trust.

For patients who do not have a mobile phone number recorded, they will receive a letter in the post or a telephone call asking to confirm this information to ensure the correct information is captured.

It is common for health circumstances to change and in this way, patients can easily remove themselves from the waiting list and have their appointment allocated to other patients. 

Patients that do not respond will remain on the waiting list.

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Notes for editors

• For further information about East Cheshire NHS Trust, contact the trust press office on 01625 663935 between the hours of 9am – 5pm, Monday – Friday.
• East Cheshire NHS Trust is the main provider of acute and community health services for the people of East Cheshire. The trust is based at Macclesfield District General Hospital.
• Follow East Cheshire NHS Trust on Twitter for all the latest news @EastCheshireNHS
• East Cheshire NHS Charity is the official charity of East Cheshire NHS Trust. We raise money for Macclesfield District General Hospital, Knutsford Community Hospital, Congleton War Memorial Hospital and all our community services.
• East Cheshire NHS Charity goes above and beyond standard Government funding to make your local NHS that extra special. From supporting staff health and wellbeing to providing toys to brighten up our young patients’ days to making long stay patients feel more at home – our mission is to make a visible difference. You can make a donation to the charity on JustGiving here.