SMS (text message) appointment reminder service

The SMS appointment reminder service is a text message service to help remind you of an upcoming appointment.

Seven days before a scheduled appointment we will send you a text message with details about your appointment.

You may be given the option to respond to the text message to either confirm you will attend, change it to another date or cancel it completely. If this option is available in the text, you can do this at any time up to 48 hours before your scheduled appointment. You will need to end your reply with the four-digit code included in the text.

• Confirm appointment: reply YES plus the four-digit code included in the text e.g. YES 7567 to let us know you will be attending.
• Change appointment: reply REBOOK plus the four-digit code included in the text e.g. REBOOK 5684 to cancel the scheduled date and wait for us to contact you to arrange another appointment date.
• Cancel appointment: reply CANCEL plus the four-digit code included in the text e.g. CANCEL 7834 to cancel your appointment if you no longer need it (this may discharge you back to your GP/doctor/health centre/clinician).

Replies to one of our text reminders may be charged at your standard network rate (not a premium rate). If you have unlimited texts included in your mobile phone contract, replies to our text messages will be included in this and you will not be charged. But if you have a pay-as-you-go contract, you will be charged your standard network rate.

The message will be sent 7 days before your scheduled appointment. If you do not reply to the message your appointment will remain booked at the date and time stated in the text, but we will still greatly appreciate it if you could confirm you are attending. You will have 5 days to respond, after which you will receive a second text reminder 2 days before the scheduled appointment, but you won’t be able to use this functionality to change or cancel. If you need to change or cancel less than 48 hours before the appointment date, please call the phone number on your appointment letter.

The number displayed as the sender of the text message will be a mobile number starting with +44 77. You will not be able to call this number, you can only text back one of the three responses listed above.

If you do not want to receive future text reminders about your appointments, please let us know you want to opt out by either:

• Replying STOP to a text message
• Calling 020 3447 9393 (choose option 5)
• Emailing uclh.appointments@nhs.net (please include your mobile number in the message)

If you have opted out of text reminders in the past but would like to opt back in, please let us know by either:

• Calling 020 3447 9393 (choose option 5)
• Emailing uclh.appointments@nhs.net (please include your mobile number in the message)

If you would like to change or cancel your appointment now, please use one of our online appointment change or cancellation forms.