How we keep in touch with patients on our waiting lists

Are you or a loved one on our waiting list for an appointment following a referral from your GP or another community clinician?

This page explains how we will keep in touch with you while you are on our waiting list, and how you can let us know if anything changes, including your circumstances, your health, or if you no longer need your appointment.

We will use secure text messages, phone calls and postage to contact you and:

  • Check you still need to be on our wait list for an appointment.
  • Remind you about your appointment, with options to manage your slot
  • Offer appointments sooner if a slot comes up

These services make it easier for you to manage your appointments, reduce missed appointments, and help us offer care to patients sooner.

We use secure text messages and phone calls to keep patients on our waiting lists informed and to help appointments run smoothly.

We use a secure system called Patient Hub, which you can access yourself and use to manage appointments.

It is important that your phone number and address recorded with your GP is up to date as we will use this information to contact you.

Check you still need to be on our wait list for an appointment.

If you are on a waiting list, we may contact you by text message to check whether you still need your appointment. This means:

  • Every 12 weeks, we may reach out via text, phone, or letter to check if you still need your place on the waiting list.
  • The text message includes a secure link where you can: 
    • Confirm you still need the appointment, or
    • Let us know you no longer need it and wish to be discharged

This helps us keep waiting lists accurate and ensures appointments are offered to patients who still need care. You can find detailed instructions below under the drop down 'How to manage your slot on our waiting list'.

Appointment reminder text messages with options to manage your slot

If you have an outpatient appointment at one of our hospitals, you will receive a confirmation and reminder messages. You will then receive reminder messages nine, seven and two days before your appointment.

Each message includes a secure link that allows you to:

  • Confirm you can attend
  • Request to cancel
  • Ask to rebook if the date or time is not suitable

Responding promptly helps us reduce missed appointments and offer slots to other patients if needed. You can find detailed instructions below under the drop down 'How to manage your outpatient appointment slot'.

Offering appointments sooner if a slot comes up

To help fill last‑minute clinic availability, we use a Booking Bot which is an automated message or call that helps you get an appointment sooner if one becomes available.

How it works:

  • If an appointment becomes available at short notice, the Booking Bot may contact you by phone or text - the phone number shown will be the clinic’s contact details.
  • You will be asked to confirm your identity by putting in your date of birth.
  • You may then be offered an appointment slot
  • If you accept, you’ll be transferred to one of our administrative team to finalise the booking

This helps us make the best use of available appointments and reduce waiting times.

How to manage your slot on our waiting list

  1. You will need access to a smartphone or a device with internet connection.
  2. You will be sent a text message from us with a link to follow.
  3. The text message will read:

    You have a new notification concerning an outstanding referral that you are on a waiting list for, please click this secure link https://www.uhdb.nhs.uk/patient-hub to get started.

    If asked to provide a User Verification Code when logging in, enter [AAA].

    Regards,

    University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust

  4. Click on the link, you may get re-directed to a page which says 'suspected spam' - please disregard this message and proceed to the next step.
  5. Enter your mobile number and add your date of birth when prompted.
  6. You will be sent a 6-digit code by text to authenticate your access to enter on the secure login page.
  7. You will be taken to the dashboard, click on the 'Referrals' tab to see your referral information.
  8. Follow the steps on the screen to confirm that you want to either
    • Stay on the waiting list
    • Be removed from the waiting list because your symptoms have recovered or you have been treated elsewhere

How to manage your outpatient appointment slot

  1. You will need access to a smartphone or a device with internet connection.

  2. You will be sent a text message from us with a link to follow.

  3. The text message will read:

    You have [Clinic Name] appointment on [date] at [time].

    Please see your appointment letter received through the post or on the Patient Knows Best portal for information on whether you need to attend the hospital or be available for your consultation by telephone or video. 

    Use the link to tell us if you need to cancel or rearrange your appointment - [LINK], or please call [phone number], as not attending may result in you being removed from the waiting list.

  4. Click on the link, you may get re-directed to a page which says 'suspected spam' - please disregard this message and proceed to the next step.

  5. Enter your mobile number and add your date of birth when prompted.

  6. You will be sent a 6-digit code by text to authenticate your access to enter on the secure login page.

  7. You will be taken to the dashboard, click on the 'Appointments' tab to see your appointment information. You may need to navigate using the tab to select either 'New' or 'Attending' appointments to find the relevant appointment. 

  8. Follow the steps on the screen to confirm that you want to either
    • Accept appointment (To confirm you will be attending)
    • Rebook appointment (To confirm you need the appointment, but cannot make this date/time)
    • Cancel appointment (To confirm you no longer need the appointment)

  9. What happens next
    • Accept appointment – your appointment will be confirmed.
    • Rebook appointment – your current appointment slot will be cancelled and another appointment slot will be issued by the relevant department and you may be contacted if the team have queries or concerns.
    • Cancel appointment – your appointment slot will be cancelled, and the clinical department may reach out to you to discuss this if they have queries or concerns.

Frequently asked questions

Why do I need to confirm I need my appointment every 11 weeks?

We know sometimes patients are unfortunately waiting longer for appointments than we would like. We want to stay in regular contact with patients to be responsive to changes in your care needs. People's circumstances and needs can change, you may receive care elsewhere or your symptoms may have recovered and therefore no longer need to be on the waiting list.

By responding to our text, we can make sure our waiting lists are up to date and individuals who no longer need an appointment can be removed from the list, reducing overall waiting times for patients.

When should I respond to the text message?

Please respond to the text message as soon as you receive them. We will send reminders 7 and 14 days after your first message.

What happens if I don't respond to the text?

If we do not receive a response after several attempts, we may review your referral and consider discharging you back to your GP’s care to ensure our waiting lists remain accurate.

If you think you still need to be on the waiting list, please contact the number on the letter you receive in the post to discuss your place on the waiting list. This is the fastest way to get a response. Alternatively, you can call our main switchboard and asked to be put through to outpatient department you were referred in to.

What is the patient hub portal?

The patient hub is a digital portal you can access on your phone to tell us if you want to keep or cancel your place on the waiting list. This is in response to feedback from our patients to provide more convenient and accessible ways to communicate with us. The Patient Hub portal is used by NHS organisations across the country, to ensure we are reaching our communities in ways that suit them and their needs.

Do I need to create an account for the patient hub?

No, once you are referred to the Trust by your referrer, they will share your details with us and we will create an account for you.

I have more than one appointment/referral - do I need to confirm them all?

Yes, if you are on the waiting list for multiple appointments, you will need to confirm or cancel them individually in the Patient Hub. However, all your appointment details will be in one place in the portal, so you can manage these all in a central space.

I'm not sure whether I still require treatment?

If you are not sure and you still have symptoms or changed symptoms, please choose "go ahead with appointment" and discuss this with your clinician at your next appointment.