Digital Letters – frequently asked questions

What if I don’t have a mobile number?

Don’t worry, if you don’t have a mobile number recorded on the hospital’s system you will be sent a physical letter to notify you of your appointment instead.

What if I have a mobile number on the hospital’s system but I don’t have a smartphone to access the digital letter?

You will still receive an SMS patient portal invite in this circumstance. You should ignore the SMS. A physical letter will be sent to you to notify you of your appointment instead.

If you do not wish to receive any further digital communications from ULHT, please contact the number on your letter and a member of staff would be happy to opt you out from receiving any further text messages from ULHT. For all future appointments you would then receive a paper copy of your appointment letter in the post.

How can I convert my digital letter to multiple languages or change the size of the text?

You can view accessibility functionality by clicking on the icon in the top right-hand corner of the page. Features include: translating your appointment letter to a chosen language, creating an MP3 file, text highlighting tool, and text magnifier to allow increased text size and much more.

How long after my appointment will I still be able to view the letter?

If you are registered, then your appointment letters will remain visible for as long as your account is active. If you have not registered your letter will be viewable up to 10 days after your appointment date.

When will a physical letter be sent out if I do not access my digital letter?

If you haven’t viewed your digital letter in the patient portal within 48 hours, a physical letter will be sent to you.

Please find attached all FAQs to common questions along with some general information about accessing your outpatient appointment information digitally,

Why should I register for the patient portal?

If you register for the patient portal, you will be able to see all communications sent to you by the hospital in one place, rather than having a separate log in for each communication sent over a period of time. It allows you to build up a library of documents relating to each of your attendances. More features will be added to the Patient Portal for registered patients soon.

Do I have to register for the patient portal?

No, if you don’t want to register you will still receive individual invites to view your digital communications through the patient portal. However, you will be required to enter your unique four-digit PIN and date of birth every time you wish to view a communication.

How can I register for the patient portal?

Once you have logged into your digital letter using your unique four-digit PIN and date of birth, you will see the  button in the top right-hand corner of your screen. You will be asked to set up a username, (your email address) and password. Please note that a different username (email address) is required for each patient.

I am a parent or carer registered on the patient portal, how can I register for my dependent as well as myself?

You can only register one patient per email. You can use a different email to register for another person if you have a second email address. You can still view your digital communications for more than one person via the patient portal but you will be required to add the unique 4-digit PIN and date of birth each time.

What should I do if I have registered for the patient portal but forgotten my password?

If you have forgotten your password, you can reset it by clicking “Forgot Password” on the login page and follow the steps highlighted.

If you already know your password but want to reset it, you should login to the patient portal. Click on your username, located at the top right of your screen, and then select “Change Password”. Follow the highlighted steps from there.

Can I still use the patient portal if I have multiple appointments at multiple hospitals across the Country?

Yes, you can register with the same email address for each Trust’s patient portal. You should login to each Trust’s portal website to see your digital communications from each Trust.

Why haven’t I received an SMS patient portal invite?

Most of the hospital appointments are configured to send you an SMS patient portal invite automatically. However, there are some exclusions to this, if your appointment falls within the pre identified exclusions you will receive a physical letter notifying you of your appointment instead.

Can I confirm, cancel or rebook my appointment on the patient portal?

Yes, you can send a digital response to your appointment directly to the hospital via the patient portal. You can find this in the main appointment area of the patient portal. You can select from “Confirm” “I can’t make this appointment, please make another” or “I no longer require this appointment”.

Why can’t I use the confirm, cancel and rebook options on the patient portal immediately before my appointment?

The interactive buttons, “Confirm” “I can’t make this appointment, please make another” and “I no longer require this appointment”, will be greyed out of use approximately 48 hours before your appointment time. If you wish to contact the hospital during this time, please call the hospital on the number provided.

Can I request more than one SMS patient portal invite is sent?

Yes, although this shouldn’t be required. The link within the SMS portal invite stays active 10 days after your appointment has passed if you haven’t registered. If you have, it will always be viewable.

Can I opt out of receiving SMS patient portal invites?

Yes, you can opt out of receiving an SMS patient portal invite by either replying to the SMS patient portal invite with the words “opt out”. Alternatively, Hospital staff can opt you out, please contact the hospital on the number provided on your letter to request this. If you choose to opt out via either method, you will always receive a physical letter to notify you of your appointment instead.

What if I don’t have a mobile number?

Don’t worry, if you don’t have a mobile number recorded on the hospital’s system you will be sent a physical letter to notify you of your appointment instead.

What if I have a mobile number saved on the hospital’s system but I don’t have a smartphone to access my digital letter?

You will still receive an SMS patient portal invite in this circumstance. You should ignore the SMS. After 48 hours a physical letter will be sent to you to notify you of your appointment instead.

What if I have recently changed my mobile number?

It is important that you contact the hospital to update your records. If you change your mobile number with your General Practitioner, this will not be updated on the hospital system, therefore, you will not be notified of your future appointments via SMS.

How long after an appointment can a digital letter be viewed on the patient portal?

If you haven’t registered on the patient portal, your digital communications are visible for up to 10 days after your appointment date, then the link will expire.

If you have registered on the patient portal, all letters remain visible for as long as your account is active.

Is there any help for me to use the Patient Portal?

Yes, once you have logged in to the patient portal there is a ‘Take the Tour’ button (shown), which will take you through the functionalities available, step by step. This is always there for you. To access the tour, click on the in the top right corner of the patient portal.

How can I view my letter?

Your letter will be viewable when you first log in to the patient portal. If at any time you need to access your letter, you can find this in the overview section by selecting ‘view letter’.

How can I add the appointment to my digital calendar?

Once you have selected the  icon to confirm your appointment, you will have the option to add the appointment to your mobile phone calendar. Alternatively, use the ‘Add to Calendar’ prompt underneath the appointment summary.

How do I print the letter?

When viewing your appointment letter, you will see at the top. Simply click the option and this will allow you to print a copy of your letter.

How can I email a copy to myself or another recipient?

When viewing your appointment letter, you will see  at the top of the screen. Simply click this option and enter the email address that you would like to pass a copy of the letter to. You will be asked to provide a password; this password will be required by the recipient before they can open the email.

What is essential reading?

The essential reading section will allow you to view any important documentation that needs to be read ahead of your appointment.

How do I access my appointment details from the appointment overview?

To access your appointment details, you can click on

What is location?

The location tab will show you on a map how to get from the address stored on your patient record to the location of your hospital appointment using Google Maps on your smartphone.  This allows for real time and updated traffic information when you are connected to the internet.

What is the ‘Before you Attend’ tab?

Here you can access all the essential reading documents that your care provider would like you to read before your appointment.

What is NHS Information?

NHS Information is a national website which provides information on all NHS services in England. It includes the following information, ‘Symptom Checker’, ‘Find a GP’, ‘Patient Feedback’ and ‘Other Ways to Provide Feedback’ and lots of other useful information about your health and wellbeing.

How can I access NHS Information?

By clicking on the NHS Information icon  you will be redirected to the NHS information website.

How can I convert my digital letter to multiple languages or change the size of the text?

You can view the accessibility functionality by clicking on the icon in the top right-hand corner of the page. Features include: translating your appointment letter to a chosen language, creating an MP3 file, text highlighting tool, and text magnifier to allow increased text size.

How long after my appointment will I still be able to view my letter?

If you are registered, then your appointment letters will remain visible for as long as your account is active. If you have not registered your letter will be viewable up to 10 days after your appointment date. If you have registered, your letters remain visible for as long as the account is active.

When will a physical letter be sent if I do not access my digital letter via the patient portal?

If you haven’t viewed your digital letter on the patient portal 48 hours a physical letter will be sent to you automatically.

I’ve lost the link to the patient portal how will I remember my appointment date?

If you don’t have a physical copy of your letter printed out, downloaded, or sent to your home address, you will need to contact the hospital, who will be able to confirm your appointment details.

If you have registered, by logging into your patient portal you will see all the communications that the Trust has sent to you.

What happens if my phone isn’t working on the day of my appointment, and I can’t access my digital letter?

You will still be able to register your attendance with your personal details when you arrive at the hospital for your appointment.

Where can I view my historic appointments when I am registered?

These are viewable by selecting  in the top left-hand corner:

• Upcoming tab shows all your appointments in the future.
• Previous tab shows all your past appointments that you should have attended.
• Cancelled tab shows all your appointments, both past and future that have been cancelled, either by you or your care provider.

How secure is the patient portal?

A unique URL is generated for each patient portal invitation, this URL is secure and encrypted. The URL is then assigned a mini-URL which is SMS and smartphone friendly. The mini-URL is contained within your invitation and is specific to your care provider. The invitation to view the mini-URL asks you to view your correspondence electronically.

Once accessed, the mini-URL will redirect you to the portal URL where the encrypted identifier is decrypted and used to obtain the fields which are to be displayed for verification.

If you have registered, your portal is on a secure site.

How can I change my password on the patient portal?

If you have registered for the patient portal previously and forgotten your password, you can change your password by clicking ‘FORGOT PASSWORD?’ on the login page. If you already know your password and have successfully logged in, you can change your password by clicking on your username in the top right corner of the patient portal and select ‘CHANGE PASSWORD’.

If someone has my phone, can they access my letter?

The patient portal features an additional level of security in that your date of birth verification is required to access your appointment letter as well as a unique four-digit PIN which will be sent in your SMS patient portal invite SMS.

If you have registered for the patient portal, access can only be gained using your unique username (email address) and password.  If you think this may have been compromised, you can change your password at any time by following 4.19.

What can I do if I am still struggling to access the patient portal?

If you are struggling to access your patient portal after reading these patient FAQ’s, you should not engage with your SMS patient portal invite and a physical letter will be sent to you.