You can set your preferences regarding what you would like to be informed about, and how you wish to receive notifications from your MyCare UCLH account.
As we update the system and add new functions we plan to expand the list of choices you can make.
Editing your communication preferences in MyCare UCLH
You can edit your communications preferences from the MyCare UCLH website and the app. In both cases you should select the Communication Preferences option from the MyCare main menu. The option is located towards the bottom of the list under the Account Settings header.
Selecting Communications Preferences will take you to the screen shown below, which summarises your settings.
On the right of the screen, under Details, you will see the different preferences arranged by theme.
(On the mobile app version, MyChart, scroll down to see the Details section.)
Clicking on a heading under Details will provide a summary of how notifications are set under that theme.
If you click on Advanced Settings, you can modify your notification options (email, push notification, post) on an individual level for each notification type.
When you do you will see a description of the notification an indication of how you can receive the notification and whether the notification is currently active.
You can receive notifications via the following sources:
- Email: An email sent to the address that is associated with your MyCare account.
- Push Notification: A message that appears on your mobile phone (usually at the top of the screen). You will only see this option if you use MyCare through the app.
- Post: A document sent to you through the post.
- Phone: An SMS text message sent to your mobile phone.
These indicators indicate whether that notification is active for a particular source:
In the example below:
- After Visit Summaries will not be sent via either email or mobile notification but can be switched on.
- Appointment Confirmations will be sent via text message but can be switched off.
- Appointment Information will be sent via mobile push notification but can be switched off.
- Appointment Letters will be sent via post and cannot be switched off.
Description of individual communication preferences
Appointments
After Visit Summary:
This setting controls whether you want to receive an email or a notification on your phone every time a new After Visit Summary is made available to you.
An After Visit Summary (AVS) is a document that is produced automatically when an outpatient visit, or inpatient admission, is closed. This may take a few days as visits are usually only closed when clinic letters have been prepared or sent.
The After Visit Summary contains information about your visit such as any medication changes, upcoming appointments, or instructions you have been provided with during the visit. It is not intended to provide the same level of detailed information that can be found in your clinic outcome letter.
We do not send email or mobile phone notifications when a new After Visit Summary is available.
If you would like to receive these notifications, you need to switch either or both of these options to on.
Appointment Confirmation through SMS message:
*Note that to receive SMS appointment reminders on your mobile phone, you need to keep the Phone option selected in the Appointments section as shown below.
This setting marked as Phone controls if you receive SMS messages from UCLH before your appointment asking you if you would like to confirm, cancel, or reschedule the appointment.
Appointment confirmation messages default to On, if you turn these off you will stop receiving appointment reminders by SMS.
Appointment Notification
This setting controls if you will receive a notification if an appointment is made, amended, cancelled or missed.
You can control if you receive notifications for each event independently, for example if you have the “Scheduled” box ticked and the “Cancelled” box unticked then you would receive notification messages when appointments are made but not when they are cancelled.
Appointment Letter
This setting controls whether you receive a paper copy of your appointment letter. At present we send out paper appointment letters for all our appointments and this setting does alter that behaviour.
Messages
Bulk Communication:
Sometimes UCLH will send out information to a group of patients at once, for example to provide information about special sessions or services.
Patients with a MyCare UCLH account would usually receive this information electronically. However if this setting is changed to On then the communication will be sent via post instead.
Letters:
This setting controls if you receive an email and/or push notification when a new clinic outcome letter is made available to you. This setting is On by default.
If you switch this setting off then you will no longer receive a notification when a new letter is available. However the letter will still be available for you to view in MyCare
New Message:
This setting controls if you receive an email or push notification when you receive a message in MyCare.
A message could be automatically generated by the system such as when a new appointment is made for you, or it could be sent by one of the clinical or admin team at UCLH.
By default we alert you with a notification via email and via a mobile phone push notification. If you turn both of these settings off you will no longer be notified when you get new messages. We do not recommend you do this.
Health
Medical Document Request
If you have requested a formal copy of your UCLH medical record, then these settings will control how you are notified that the document is ready to download.
By default we will send you an email and a mobile push notification. If you turn off both of these settings, you will not be notified when your document is ready but you would still be able to download it from MyCare.
Research Study Invitation
If you are a suitable candidate to participate in some research studies, you may receive an invitation in MyCare. By default we will send you an email and a mobile push notification. If you turn both of these settings off you will not be notified when a new invitation is extended to you but would still see the invitation on your home screen the next time you log in.
Test Result
Test results can be automatically released directly to you or manually released to you by your clinical team.
This setting controls if you will receive an email or mobile phone notification when a new result is available.
By default we will send an email and a mobile notification. Switching this setting off means you will not be notified about new results. The results will still be visible from the Test Result page in MyCare.
Health questionnaires
These two settings refer to an extremely specific type of questionnaire that we sometimes send out to patients who have surgery at UCLH.
Most patient health questionnaires are unaffected by these settings as you will receive a message instead.
If you do receive one of these special questionnaires called a questionnaire series, then these settings influence whether you are notified as soon as the questionnaire becomes available and then when it becomes due for completion.
Account Management
All the options under this heading are set so that you will always receive an email and cannot opt out.
This is because these settings are about access to your account and it is very important to guarantee that you are notified if, for example, you are locked out of your account.
You do have the option to opt out of mobile notifications, but these are enabled by default if you use the MyCare app.
- Account Locked: Your account has been locked as you have entered an incorrect password too many times
- App Linked: You have linked your MyCare account to a 3rd party app such as Apple Health or Google Fit
- Contact Information Changed: Your email address or mobile number associated with your account has been changed
- Device Linked: When you log into the MyCare (MyChart) app on a new phone for the first time
- New Link To Your Account: When you link together two patient portal accounts from different hospital trusts (the patient portal accounts must be based on the MyCare (MyChart) framework)
- Password Changed: When the password to your MyCare UCLH account has been changed
Telehealth
Video Visit Reminder
Controls whether you receive a reminder notification of an upcoming video visit at UCLH. (This does not apply to group video visits).
You will get one reminder 60 minutes before the appointment and another 15 minutes before the appointment, which is when you can join the call.
You may also receive a notification if the clinician is running late for the video visit.
By default we send both an email and push notification. If you turn these off, you will not be notified when it is time to join your visit.