More hospital services go live with Patient Engagement Portal

More specialties have now gone live with the Patient Engagement Portal (PEP), provided by DrDoctor, with patients already seeing the benefits of this new system.

Following the successful pilot in the Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) department at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) earlier this year, the portal is now available for digital letter appointments across a wide range of specialties. These include a large number of clinics in Ophthalmology, Dermatology, Urology, Trauma and Orthopaedics, Gynaecology, Respiratory, Colorectal and many more. Additional clinics services will continue to be added throughout 2025.

The portal allows patients to receive appointment notifications and digital letters directly via the NHS App, where they can also request to reschedule or cancel their appointments. This integration aims to empower patients, by having centralised access to their information immediately - improving accessibility and convenience for patients, while also supporting the Trusts sustainability goals by reducing paper usage.

Since the initial launch, the Trust has seen over 26,000 letters uploaded to the system and a reduction in paper letters of over 70%.

The PEP also allows the Trust to contact patients if short-notice slots become available, helping to efficiently use clinic slots and reduce waiting times.

Rebecca Gallimore, Director of Digital Transformation, said: “We’re thrilled to see the positive impact of DrDoctor across more departments. The integration with the NHS App is a clear indicator that our digital transformation is improving patient experience and operational efficiency. We’re committed to continuing this rollout and ensuring all patients benefit from our digital improvements.”

Patients are encouraged to enable notifications in the NHS App and save the Trust’s messaging number (07860 039 092) to easily recognise appointment updates.

A paper copy of the appointment letter is available if patients reply “Print” to the text message. If the digital letter isn’t viewed, a copy will be sent in the post.