Health board call warning

Telephone appointments advice

NHS Lanarkshire are reminding patients of the times when they should expect to hear from their appointments team.

The health board are taking the step to reassure people that they are speaking to a member of healthcare staff.

While the majority of first appointments will be sent out by letter, there may be times when the team will telephone a patient, including when offering an appointment at short notice.

NHS Lanarkshire are also using reminder services for outpatient appointments where people may receive an automated call the week before their appointment.

This is to confirm that attending.

Patients may also receive a text message if they have previously

they

are provided a mobile telephone number to the health board.

Joyce Ga l l oway , re f e r ral management service manager for NHS Lanarkshire, said: “If you are expecting a hospital appointment, or are receiving treatment, you may receive a phone call from us to offer you a late appointment in the event of a cancellation.

“If we can offer you an appointment within eight days, we will phone to discuss this with you.

“The phone call will be followed up with a confirmation letter where there is time to do so.

“The member of staff will always introduce themselves and say that they are calling from NHS Lanarkshire.

“If we have contacted you, we will ask you to confirm your name, date of birth, address and your GP practice details.

“If you have contacted us, we will ask you to confirm your Community Health Index number, which will be on your appointment letter, as well as your name, date of birth and address.”

Appointment details are usually only discussed with the patient.

However, the team are also reminding carers of the details that they will need if calling on behalf of a patient in their care.

Joyce added: “If you are calling the NHS on behalf of someone that you are a carer for, it is important that the patient gives you their consent to speak to us.

“We may therefore ask the patient to come to the telephone to verbally give consent for you to speak on their behalf.

“You will also need to have their personal details, including their Community Health Index number, date of birth and address.”

If a patient is still unsure if they are speaking to a member of NHS Lanarkshire staff, they can call the referral management service back on 0300 303 0249.

The member of staff will always introduce themselves