Appointment letters are going paperless!

As a patient you can choose to receive your appointment letters by email, rather than post. Changing to email will enable you to receive your appointment letters quicker and in a convenient format. In addition this helps to reduce the amount of paper we use helping us become more sustainable. 

We are now rolling out the process of signing patients up to receive appointment letters by email across the Trust to give all patients the opportunity to receive their appointment letters via email*.

At present the following patients can sign up to receive appointment letters:

• Patients aged 16+
• Parents/ guardians of children aged under 16

How to sign up

To sign-up to receive your appointment letters by email, please follow the instructions below.

	Add your email address to your Trust records by one of the following ways: Speak to a receptionist at your outpatient appointment Enter your email address when using the self-check-in machine Over the phone when speaking to a member of staff about an outpatient appointment Email EmailLettersValidation@UHBristol.nhs.uk  asking for your email address to be added to your records along with your name, DOB and address.
	You will receive the terms and conditions within 24 hours by email from EmailLettersValidation@UHBristol.nhs.uk. Please read these carefully.
	If you accept the terms and conditions please reply to the email and give your/your child's: Full name Date of birth Hospital (T-number) or NHS number (on the top right hand corner of your appointment letter) If you are a parent responding on behalf of a child, please also give your name.
	If your details are correct we will validate your email address and you will start to receive your appointment letters by email, rather than post. This will be for most appointments across UH Bristol*.

This sign up process has been designed for security reasons and to ensure you accept the risks of sending information electronically.

The full and latest terms and conditions are available  here. You may also want to take a look at our privacy notice. 

*Some specialties use unique systems meaning that some appointment letters at present cannot yet be sent via email and therefore will still be sent via post.

A reminder that University Hospitals Bristol includes the following hospitals: Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, Bristol Heart Institute, St. Michaels, Bristol Haematology Oncology Centre, Bristol Eye Hospital, Bristol Dental Hospital, and South Bristol Community Hospital. It does not include Southmead Hospital.

I want to sign up

Follow the instructions set out on this page.

I want to opt out

You can opt out at any time by calling the appointment centre on 0117 342 6888. You will need to state your full name, date of birth, and hospital (T-number) or NHS number.

I need to change the email address that you have on record

You can update the email address that we have on record by calling the appointment centre on 0117 342 6888, or by speaking to the receptionist at your next outpatient appointment. You will need to state your full name, date of birth, and hospital (T-number) or NHS number. Once you have changed your email address you will have to sign up to receive your appointment letters via email again with the new email address. You will automatically be sent the terms and conditions email to start the process.

I am a carer - can I sign up on behalf of someone else?

Not at this time. We are working towards adults being able to receive emails on behalf of someone they care for, and we hope to offer this soon. However, at present patients can only  sign up on behalf of themselves. This is whilst we consider patient confidentiality, adult safeguarding, and the boundaries of who can sign up on behalf of whom.

I am a parent - can I sign up on behalf of my child?

The majority of parents and legal guardians will be able to sign up to receive letters for their children. You will need to provide your name, and the full name, date of birth, and NHS or hospital number of (each of) the child(ren) you are signing up.

We are working towards all parents and legal guardians being able to sign up.

For safeguarding reasons, any child who is looked after will not be signed up. If a child is signed up and subsequently becomes looked after they will automatically be opted out of receiving emailed letters.

When a child is adopted they will be automatically opted out of emailed letters, and the adoptive parents will have to re-sign up the child into emailed letters.

When a child turns 16 they will automatically be opted out of emailed letters. This is because under the age of 16 a child's letters are addressed to a parent or legal guardian, and over the age of 16 a child's letters are usually addressed to the child. Therefore over the age of 16 the child will need to sign up for emailed letters themselves, if they want to.

Can I sign up all my children in at once?

Yes you can sign up all children under 16 years old at one time. To do this you will need to clearly state the following for each child:

• The email address to be added to their record
• Their name
• Their DOB
• Their Trust (T) or NHS number
• Your name

If the details provided are correct they will be signed up and you will begin to receive all their appointment letters via email.

I never received the terms and conditions

This could be because:

• We have the wrong email address on record for you, so the terms and conditions never got through
• The terms and conditions email was blocked by your email account spam filters

Terms and conditions are sent from EmailLettersValidation@UHBristol.nhs.uk, please search for an email from this address to double check that you have never received it.

If this happens, please either speak to a receptionist at your next appointment to check your email address is correct, or call the appointment centre on 0117 342 6888. They will be able to update a mis-spelt email address if that is the issue.

I can't find the terms and conditions email

If you cannot find the terms and conditions email, or for example accidently deleted it before responding, you can follow the instructions below to sign up. Please be aware that sometimes our emails can end up in spam/junk folders.

1. Read the T&Cs.
2. If you agree to the T&Cs, copy and complete the following (completed) information:
I [full name] confirm that I have read and understood the UH Bristol Email Correspondence T&Cs of use and would like to opt into the system. My date of birth is [dd/mm/yy] and my Trust number (T-Number) or NHS Number is [Insert here].
Or if you are a parent of a child:
I [full name] confirm that I have read and understood the UH Bristol Email Correspondence T&C's of use and would like to opt into the system on behalf of [patient's full name] because I am their parent/legal representative. Their date of birth is [dd/mm/yy] and their Trust number (T-Number) or NHS Number is [Insert here]. I am aware that as soon as my child turns 16 years old they will automatically be opted out of receiving emails as my child has the right to receive their letters directly and they will need to sign up for themselves.
3. Email it to EmailLettersValidation@UHBristol.nhs.uk
4. If the information provided is correct you will be successfully signed up to receive future appointment letters via email.

I'm not sure if I am signed up or not?

If you are unsure whether you have been signed up or not please call the appointment centre on 0117 342 6888 and they will be able to confirm whether you have successfully signed up or not and whether any letters have been sent to you recently.

I've signed up but I still receive (some of) my letters by post

There are a couple of reasons this could be:

• Your mailbox could be full. If the email can't be delivered then it will automatically be printed and posted. Please delete emails you no longer need, including deleted items, in order to free up mailbox space.
• Not all areas are able to send emailed appointment letters (for example, Radiology), because they use a different IT system. You can call the number on your appointment letter if you want to check this.
• You may not have provided all or the correct information we need in order to sign you up, and therefore have been unable to do so.  
• The appointment letters are for other hospitals outside of University Hospital's Bristol. This includes Southmead.
• If it's none of the above it may be that our staff have followed a different process.

If you continue to receive your appointment letters via post after checking the above please call the appointments centre on 0117 342 6888 to raise the issue.

I've signed up to emailed letters and now I don't receive either emails or letters

This could be because your spam filters have blocked the email, or the email may be going to your spam/junk folder.

1. Search for the email in your spam/junk folder to confirm it is not in there.

2. To help ensure it arrives in your inbox add donnotreply.myappointments@uhbristol.nhs.uk as a known contact in your email address book, or mark the sender as not spam.

My emailed letters always go to my junk folder

Please add donnotreply.myappointments@uhbristol.nhs.uk as a known contact in your email address book, or mark the sender as not spam. This will also help the email get through to other patients too because spam filters will recognise this as a known email address.

I use a screen reader; can they read the emailed letters?

We currently believe all screen readers, apart from NVDA can read the letters. When tested NVDA could not read all details on our emailed appointment letters. Please bear this in mind before signing up.

Do I need to print my letter out?

If you have access to your letter on a mobile device while visiting the hospital for your appointment you may not need to print your letter out to bring with you. We mostly ask patients to bring a copy of their letter with them to their appointment so we can offer support if there are any queries around the time or location of your appointment.

If the letter contains a survey (or similar) to be completed before you attend you will be required to print this out, complete it, and bring it with you.

Will the self-check-in machines scan the barcode on the letter if it is on my mobile device?

Yes the self-check-in machines should be able to scan the barcode on the letter which is on your mobile device. You may just need to enlarge the barcode by zooming in.

How will the letter be received in an email?

The letter will be attached as a PDF document to the email. The letter will look exactly the same as if it was printed. You will be able to download or print this letter and file it where desired.

Will you use my email address for any other purpose?

No, we will only use your email address for the purpose you agree to in the terms and conditions. Our privacy notice states: "We would never share your information for marketing or insurance purposes without your explicit and specific consent." Please read the full notice here for further information.