Referrals and appointments newsletter September 2026

This month marks another important step forward in improving the patient experience through digital referrals and appointments. With NHS App referral notifications going live, further progress on Digital PIFU, and continued investment in local innovation, we are helping patients access information and services more easily while supporting providers to deliver more efficient care. Together, these developments demonstrate the growing impact of Referrals and Appointments services as we work towards a more seamless journey that connects everyone to the right care, first time, every time.

At Bradford Teaching Hospitals, an acute trust in the North East and Yorkshire region, digital appointment notifications via the NHS App reduced SMS costs by 17%, saving around £1,000 per month, while providing patients with timely updates through a more sustainable digital channel.

The trust has also sent more than 290,000 digital letters through the NHS App since March 2026, with 82% viewed by patients, reducing paper correspondence and helping patients access appointment information more quickly.

Visit our FutureNHS Impact page for more information on the impact of our services for patients, staff and providers.

We have committed £18.5 million to 109 projects across 90 provider organisations. This investment will expand NHS App capabilities and improve how patients access referrals, appointments, documents and communications.

With 89 projects requiring national build or onboarding support, our focus now shifts to delivery, transferring the remaining funds and establishing clear measures to track benefits for patients, providers and the wider NHS.

Note that FutureNHS funding page hosts information and documentation.

Digital Patient Initiated Follow-Up (PIFU) reached another milestone in August, with County Durham and Darlington becoming the first trust to implement the service through the NHS App using Health Call as its Patient Engagement Portal (PEP).

Eligible patients can now view and complete PIFU questionnaires through the NHS App, giving them greater flexibility in how they access follow-up care. This first-of-type deployment establishes a repeatable approach for other Health Call sites, with a further three trusts expected to go live this financial year.

Guidance, resources and implementation support are available through the PIFU Toolkit on FutureNHS.

Patients referred through the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS) will receive automated updates via the NHS App, providing greater visibility and reassurance while they wait.

From 11 September, patients will be notified when their referral is being processed and when it has been accepted by the receiving provider. Notifications will be delivered through the NHS App and integrated with NHS Notify, enabling patients to receive communications through the most appropriate channel, including email and SMS where appropriate. A key message for provider teams is that referral acceptance does not mean an appointment has been booked.

Please ensure referral management, booking and administrative teams are aware of the change and are prepared to support any patient queries following go-live. For more information, visit FutureNHS.

NHS England's Behavioural Science Unit has published the final findings from a programme of research with Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, including two randomised controlled trials involving more than 9,000 patients and an online experiment with 783 UK adults.

The research found that simple changes to waiting list validation messages increased response rates from 38% to 71% and helped identify more than twice as many appointments that were no longer needed. The complete evidence base, findings and implementation resources are now available to help organisations review and optimise their own waiting list validation communications. Read more on FutureNHS.

Access Referrals and Appointments resources, including guidance, FAQs, reporting, dashboards and implementation support, all in one place. Explore the Self Service Toolkit on FutureNHS.

Referrals and Appointments Supplier Forum - 8 September 2026.

e-RS Training Forum - 15 September 2026.

Referrals and Appointments Reference Group - 15 September 2026.

Join our FutureNHS workspace.

Access guidance on our services, demos, resources and promotional guidance to support trust and patient communications.