Text Message Reminders

Would you like to receive a free text message to confirm your appointment?

Its easy – just give us your mobile phone number and we will add it to our database.

If you wish to register for this messaging service please fill out the consent form.

Reducing missed appointments

Every missed appointment costs the NHS £36.00. We hope by introducing this service we are able to reduce the number of missed appointments and save NHS resources. It is also a quicker and cheaper method of contacting patients than writing.

The type of messages we will send

There are numerous reasons that we may want to contact you using text messaging. Some typical examples include:

  • A text confirmation of an upcoming surgery appointment.*
  • To ask you to contact us so that we can deliver a non-urgent message.
  • To invite you to participate in national health care programs such as cancer screening, Childhood or Influenza Immunisations Campaigns or NHS Health Checks.

Can I use this service to contact my doctor? 
No. If you need to speak to your doctor, please phone or make an appointment.

What if I do decide not to participate? 
Simply tell us you don’t wish to receive text messages from us and we will remove your number from the service.

What happens if I change my mobile number? 
You need to let us know your new number as soon as possible so we can continue the reminder service to your mobile phone.

We will never breach patient confidentiality using the text messaging service.

Garswood Surgery cannot guarantee the successful delivery of text messages to each individual recipient. The service depends on the individual cellular and mobile phone carriers to deliver SMS messages. There may be a charge by your mobile phone provider to receive SMS messages when you are abroad. We confirm an appointment date and time by text message at the time of booking, however, we do not text out appointment reminders. It is the individual’s responsibility to access their text messages. The onus remains with the individual to ensure they attend for appointments and respond to text message requests. If you have changed your mobile phone number or wish to register your mobile number with us please contact us and we will update your record. We do not offer this service to patients under 16 years old.