Managing our waiting lists
Please look out for a text message from us.
Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, many patients have been waiting a long time to receive the treatment they need. We are working hard to see patients as quickly as possible.
To help us understand whether patients’ circumstances have changed over the last year, we are using a new text message and online question service.
We have partnered with our digital solutions provider, DrDoctor, to provide this service, which we are trialling for some patients on our waiting list.
If you do receive this text message, follow the link to let us know whether you still need your appointment. Please do not ignore it – your response is crucially important to help us manage our waiting list.
How it works
- If you are waiting for an appointment, we’ll send you a text message from +447860039092 asking you to respond to an online question. (Please do not call this number, as it is a No Reply number and is only used to send out text messages. If you do have any queries, please contact our Outpatient Contact Centre on 020 8333 3216)
- Follow the drdoctor.thirdparty.nhs.uk link in your message to answer the question about whether you need your appointment
- Once you've responded, we'll ask you to verify your date of birth. If you are answering on behalf of someone else, please use the patient’s date of birth.
- Depending on your response, you will either stay on our waiting list or, if appropriate, we may discharge you back to the care of your GP.
Please note your comments will be used only to manage our waiting lists and will not be reviewed by a clinician. If you have a health concern and are unsure what to do, please contact a healthcare provider (eg your GP, pharmacist or NHS 111) directly.
Frequently asked questions
Is the link in the text message trustworthy?
The drdoctor.thirdparty.nhs.uk link in your text message is trustworthy and delivered by our partner DrDoctor.
DrDoctor is accredited to the highest standards set by the NHS for protecting the healthcare information of UK citizens. For more information, see the NHS Data and Protection Toolkit certification www.dsptoolkit.nhs.uk/OrganisationSearch/8HY91 and DrDoctor’s privacy policy my.drdoctor.co.uk/privacy
Why are you asking me for my date of birth?
After you have answered the question, we will ask you to confirm your date of birth so the booking team can confirm that the text message was sent to the right person.
If the date of birth you give is different from the date of birth we have on record for you, a member of our booking team will contact you.
If you are answering on behalf of someone else, please use the patient’s date of birth.