Frequently asked questions
Yes. The patient portal is a software provided by East Kent Hospitals University Foundation NHS Trust. The portal meets rigorous NHS requirements for health record systems and is fully compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Identification is provided through the NHS App and is fully secure.
The portal is an optional service to provide choice to patients who wish to interact with the hospital in a digital format, and requires you to ‘opt-in’.
If you do not wish to use the portal, you can choose not to sign up and continue to receive your hospital correspondence in the usual way. This will not affect the care that you receive from the Trust.
Not yet. We will be providing this capability in the future.
Once logged in, you will see four tabs on the left panel of the portal. These are:
Account – check your phone number and NHS number. Any changes will have to be done in the NHS App
Communication preferences – here you can select how you wish us to send letters to you, digitally or by post and if so in what format, large font, easy read, braille
Postal address – check the home address we have for you and edit it if it is incorrect
Apps and integrations – this will show what apps and permissions you have granted. This will include more once other systems are brought on board.
Yes, you will be able to log into the portal at any time to amend how you wish to receive your correspondence, and which format.
An email will be sent to inform that a letter is available on the portal. If this is not accessed within a period of time the letter will be sent in the post.
Faster delivery – letters are received in seconds rather than days
Convenience – letters can be opened and read anywhere on a mobile device
Environmentally friendly – sending letters by email reduces paper and stationery usage
Cost saving – email costs considerably less than posting a letter. The Trust is able to re-invest these savings into providing an improved service for our patients.
The level of information you have within the patient portal relates to the level of ID verification you have successfully completed with your NHS Login.
To access your letters, you will need to have completed the High-Level ID Checks on NHS Login.
The link to view your letters is located at the top of the Communication preferences tab.
Simply click the 'Letters' button to display the list of available documents.
Please note, the portal is a rolling programme with a limited number of services available upon launch.
Our first priority is to ensure you receive your letter. In the event of an email failing to send, you will be automatically unsubscribed from the service and the failed letter will be re-sent in the post to your place of residence (as recorded on our Patient Administration System).
Once you have registered, future correspondence from the Trust will become available within the portal, such as appointment letters.
There are still some departments within the Hospital which are yet to use the Trust's electronic mail provider, and there may also be times when you need to receive additional items such as hearing aids or leaflets. On both of these occasions you will receive your letter in the post instead.
If you find that you have completed a rebook or cancellation request on the wrong appointment then please contact us on the appropriate number on your appointment letter and we can manage the request accordingly.
If you have asked for an appointment to be rebooked or cancelled, there will be a delay in the list being updated to allow sufficient time for your request to be actioned.
This delay could be due to various reasons but once the appointment has been changed within our appointments system, your list will be updated to reflect the new details.