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Add or correct the contact details on your NHS record service

This service enables people to update or correct a missing or invalid mobile phone number or email address.

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Members of the public

If you need to update your postal address, you should contact your GP surgery. 

If you want to add or correct the mobile phone number or email address on your NHS record, use our online service.

Overview

The service allows people to add or correct their contact details. 

It also:

  • identifies people with a record in the PDS where either the email address or mobile number is missing, malformed or different to that provided to another NHS service
  • notifies the person to ask them to add or correct their contact information

An initial pilot scheme sent notifications to a number of people with these issues. They received a text message or email asking them to update their NHS record, with information on how they could do this.  

The service only contacts patients again if the missing email address or mobile number on their NHS record is still missing, or is in an incorrect format. Opting out of a different NHS service will not prevent the patient from being contacted by this service.

An NHS record contains demographic information, such as name, date of birth, address, contact preferences and NHS number. It enables health services, such as a GP, to contact patients about appointment reminders and referrals.

View this video to learn more about the PDS.

There are 3 options for people to update their contact details. 

Add or correct your NHS contact details

Patients who receive these messages can use the online web service to make a change.
 

NHS login

Patients can use their NHS login details to access their NHS account. Once logged in, they can update the contact details on their NHS record.
 

NHS App

This option involves downloading the NHS App (if not already downloaded). After logging into the NHS App with their NHS login details, people can manage their account and update their email addresses or mobile phone number.
 

Benefits

The aim of the service is to enable people to take ownership of their PDS contact information. This will provide a more reliable and up to date source of information for the NHS.

The longer term goal is to reduce the number of missed appointments across healthcare settings.

Accepting updates from patients

When a patient updates their contact information, health and care professionals will receive an alert in their local clinical system the next time they access the patient’s record.

Please accept the change so that the patient’s most up to date contact details will be available to all systems connected to the PDS. If the change is rejected, it will over write the change across PDS.

Processing patient data

Data processing is explained in the PDS Fair Processing Notice, under the Purpose and sharing section.
 

Templates and scripts

Suggested website text for a GP surgery

It’s important that we have the correct contact details for you.

This is because they are used by your GP and other NHS services to contact you about screening, vaccinations or appointments.

If we find that your mobile phone number or email address is missing or in an incorrect format, we will send you a message to let you know.

You can add missing information, or fix an issue with your contact details, by logging into your NHS account or by using the NHS App.

If you are unable to update your details this way, please get in touch with us and we will update your NHS record for you.

Telephone message script

For an NHS App telephone message script that includes contact details updates, please visit Templates and scripts.

Contact us

For more information about the service, contact [email protected].

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Last edited: 5 December 2023 10:51 am