CONTACTING YOU

When you register with us and give us your telephone number and email address (or whenever you wish to update your details), you are giving us your permission to contact you for medical reasons, when you have a review due, or regarding an appointment you may have, etc. When sending or leaving messages, we will just say that we are trying to contact you so you may call us back at a more convenient time. We may send a text message to your mobile number if we are unable to get hold of you or leave a message. We may also pass on your contact details on to other NHS or NHS-affiliated services when referring you. This is the minimum level of contact we must have in order to provide medical services to you.

Other options are for you to allow us to contact you with questionnaires/surveys about the services we provide or health services in the local area.

We will never pass your details on to any other person or organisation, except where stated above or if we are legally obliged to do so, unless you give us permission.

Patient Mailings

From time to time we need to send messages to lots of patients, for example during the 'flu season, where we send letters out to 'at-risk' patients who would benefit from vaccination inviting them to book an appointment. Sending mailings to large numbers of people is always very costly in both time and resources as we have to produce the lists of patients, print letters, fill envelopes and pay for postage. It doesn't sound much until you have to do this for 7000 letters!

There are ways of reducing the costs practices incur:

1. 1. encourage as many patients to book appointments before sending reminder letters by advertising in the surgery or on repeat prescription requests. 
   2. send reminders through email or SMS text message

We advertise 'flu clinics first and then do our own mailings via text or email. 

If you have any questions, please ask to speak to a member of the Management Team