If you have an appointment in a hospital or clinic but do not need to stay overnight, it means you're being treated as an outpatient. You may be having an appointment for treatment, diagnosis or a procedure.
Preparing for an outpatient appointment (www.nhs.uk)
We are looking at how we can provide outpatient care in the best way. The following are some of the changes that have been made so far:
eBooking: Some patients will receive a text message from the Trust to their smartphone so they can book their appointment and choose the best date and time for them.
eLetters: Some patients will receive their appointment letters via text message to their smartphone instead of waiting to receive a paper copy through the post.
Non face-to-face consultations: Some patients will be offered video and telephone consultations where appropriate. Many patients have already benefitted from this new style of consultation from the comfort of their homes.
University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) may contact you regarding your referral to UHMBT.
This helps to avoid wasted appointments when a patient no longer needs their place on the waiting list because they have already been treated, have recovered, or have moved away from the morecambe bay area.
If you receive this message:
Hello [YOUR-FIRST-NAME], this is a message from Morecambe Bay Hospitals. Please click the link below, to our Patient App, where there are questions about your appointment in [NAME-OF-DEPARTMENT] service https://fx.uhmb.nhs.net.uk/clinicalvalidation2/waitinglistvalidation?guid=alkjhkls-ksdjhf-2893 - please respond.
You can let us know if you need your place on the waiting list or if you want to come off our waiting list.
We appreciate your response and it helps us to offer appointments to patients who still need them.
Your text will come from NHS NO-REPLY. Please follow the link in the text message to log in and update us.
Age UK
If you or someone you know needs support with digital skills, visit Age UK's ‘Making the most of the internet’ resources. Here you will find simple guides to help people who are already online but want to boost their confidence.
Lots of Age UK's local partners also provide computer classes for older people.
AbilityNet
AbilityNet has some useful resources for people with learning disabilities around data and digital support: Digital Lifeline for people with learning disabilities - AbilityNet