Accessing your Patient Portal with Healthcare Communications

Rather than receiving physical copies of your appointment letters, you can access them digitally though this area of the Patient Portal.

We can also send you SMS reminders – look out for a text message seven days in advance (from either NHS Hospital, NHS NLaG or 07786 209254) and again 48 hours before your appointment to remind you of the time and date and where to go if it’s a face-to-face appointment or how to access it if it’s a virtual one.

How it works

You can find out more about how to access your information via the Healthcare Communications area of the Portal in this video:

What happens when you receive the text message

A text message on a mobile phone screen. The content of the text is This is a Patient Portal digital letter invitation from Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust/ Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust" followed by a link

The first step is that you will receive a text message to your phone with your appointment or admission details.

This will come from NHS Hospital, NHS NLaG or 07786 209254, be addressed to you or your child by name, and will say “This is a Patient Portal digital letter invitation from Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust/ Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust” followed by a link.

Simply click on the link and this will take you to the Portal.

Until you have created an account, this message will also contain a unique, four-digit pin-code and instructions on how to use this and your date of birth to log into the Portal.

When you open your first digital letter from us you’ll be given the option to create a username and password for the patient portal. If you do this you’ll be able to log in to see all your letters in once place, and the next time you get a notification of a new letter it will instead invite you to log in to https://nlag.nhsportal.net/

It’s quick, easy, safe and secure and should the digital letter not be opened within 48 hours the system will automatically print and post a copy out to your address.

When you enter the Patient Portal, you’ll be taken to your appointment/ admission details page, where you will be able to see the date, the location and clinic information.

You can then select whether you want to confirm, rebook or cancel your appointment or admission. You can download the letter and/ or add the appointment to your own calendar.

If you can’t attend the date specified in the letter, you can choose to rebook or cancel your appointment. If you select rebook, we will contact you to arrange another date.

Instructions for emailing/ printing from the Patient Portal

Step one: Click the more button with the three dots at the bottom right of your screen.
Step two: Choose the 'email letter' option
Step three: Enter the email address you want to send a copy of your letter to. You'll then be asked to create a password, which will be needed to open the letter"

Step one: click on the 'more' button with the three dots at the bottom right of your screen.
Step two: On the next page, choose 'print letter'
Step three: Select the printer of your choice (you will need to have a printer set up on your local network)

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if I don’t receive or respond to the message sent to my phone?

If you don’t access your letter within 48 hours of receiving the text message the system will automatically generate a physical letter be sent to you in the post. You’ll also automatically receive a letter after three unsuccessful login attempts to the portal. If you need help with any technical issues on the portal, please call 0845 9000 890 or email [email protected]

What if I don’t have a smartphone?

If you have a mobile phone but it’s not a smartphone, you can key in the link address from the text message into your computer or any other internet-enabled device to access the Portal.

If you have not logged in 48 hours after the text is sent, a paper copy of the letter will be posted out to you.

If I delete the text by mistake after I have opened it, how will I remember my appointment date?

There’s an option to add the appointment to the calendar on your phone when you open the digital letter.

You can also register for the Patient Portal to view all your previous letters in one place – just click register at the top right hand corner once you’ve opened the letter.

We will also continue to send our appointment reminder text messages ahead of your appointment.

How can I convert my digital letter to multiple languages or change the size of the text?

You can view accessibility functionality in the top right-hand corner of the page. Features include translating your appointment letter to a chosen language, creating an MP3 file, text highlighting tool, and text magnifier to allow increased text size.

If someone has my phone, can they access my letter?

The system is secure – you need to put your date of birth and the pin from the text message in to be able to access your appointment letter. Once you have registered for the portal you’ll be able to create your own username and login.

I am a carer and usually deal with appointments for the person I care for. Can my number be added on to receive the letters as well?

We can only send digital letters to one mobile number per patient. If you wish to change the number to yours we can do that (with consent from the patient) but please bear in mind that this will change the contact number we have for all correspondence/ contact from the Trust. Please speak to the relevant speciality admin team to request this change. Alternatively the patient could opt out of receiving digital letters and continue to receive a letter in the post

How do I know the message is genuine and from you?

The messages will come from either NHS Hospital, NHS NLaG or 07786 209254. If you have any concerns, please feel free to call us or email [email protected]