Improving delivery of NHS letters
What you told us
We’ve heard from people who have experienced delayed delivery of NHS letters which contained information about their health condition, upcoming appointments, or test results.
This includes appointment letters delivered after the scheduled appointment date, resulting in confusion, worsening conditions, and risks to patient safety.
Missed appointments not only lead to people losing their place on long NHS waiting lists, but NHS teams must also deal with the fallout, including cost and disruption for staff and other patients.
Changes to the postal service
There is requirement for Royal Mail to deliver letters to all addresses in the UK six days a week. Service targets are to deliver first class mail within one day and second-class post within three.
Due in part to missed targets and other issues, Ofcom announced a consultation on the future of the universal postal service in January 2024. This included proposals to reduce the number of days letters will be delivered.
Along with NHS and patient partners, we wrote an open letter sharing our concerns about the impact of these proposals on patients and NHS teams.
Securing changes for patients
When people receive NHS letters late, it will either be due to NHS teams sending the letter out late, or because of delays in the postal system.
We have worked with Royal Mail, NHS England, NHS Providers, National Voices and the Patients Association to protect against both these issues through:
- A new Royal Mail NHS-specific barcode to help post teams identify NHS letters in their system and make sure they are delivered on time.
- A new briefing for NHS organisations to understand the range of Royal Mail services available for the timely delivery of letters.
At times of missed postal targets and challenges in the NHS, these changes aim to reduce the impact on patients, particularly those who rely on letters for their NHS communication.
What to learn more about these changes?
We will continue working with Royal Mail and others on implementation of the barcode to ensure that experiences improve for patients.
