Text Message Alerts. AccuRx

AccuRx patient text messaging is a service that we have been using for a few months and feedback from many of our patients is that you love it. AccuRx will automatically send a text message to all patients who have a mobile phone number recorded with us to remind them of their upcoming appointment at the surgery. It is simple and quick for patients to reply to if they wish to cancel their appointment saving time and ensuring the appointment slot is immediately available for another patient. We also use AccuRx to invite patients to flu, shingles, diabetes and asthma clinics. Unfortunately, only approximately 50% of our patients have a mobile phone number listed on their records so there are still 50% of our patients that are missing out on a fantastic bit of technology and a great time saving tool. Please ensure we have your up to date mobile phone number on your records to take advantage of this service and help us keep in contact with you.

There is a major drive under the ‘Five Year Forward View’ set by the Government to ensure that we use all types of communication including technological methods available to us to ensure communication to our patients is timely and effective. 

 Text Messaging Service

We already remind you of your appointment dates but we will be using text alerts to you know much more, including:

• when your fit note, medical report, letter is ready to pick up
• when your results have come back to the Practice, have been seen by the clinician, and they are normal
• when you need to come in for review of your long term condition
• when you need to come in for a medication review
• when you need to come back and discuss a non-urgent hospital letter or additional treatment with a clinician
• when you are due to come in for a vaccination or immunisation
  
  

Patients have reported the following benefits of using the service including:

• Convenience, avoiding the need to wait for a phone call to answer a simple question
• Immediacy, receiving correspondence immediately rather than waiting for a letter
• Safety, allowing prompting of overdue investigations when issuing repeat prescriptions
• Patient experience
• Improved access and avoiding inappropriate appointment

Please ensure your mobile number is correct on your records by discussing this with a member of the Reception Team so that you will be able to take advantage of this service. If you do not wish to take advantage of this service then please let the Reception Team know and we can set the system to reflect your decision not to accept text messages.

Text Messaging Policy