Protections on NHS letter delivery agreed between Royal Mail, NHS leaders and patient bodies

Royal Mail, NHS England, NHS Providers, Healthwatch England, National Voices, and the Patients Association, wrote an open letter last week to Ofcom highlighting the introduction of new protections to ensure reliable and efficient postal service for NHS patients.

Last week the postal regulator closed its public consultation to reform the universal postal delivery service, with changes to be announced this summer.  

Since the beginning of the consultation, Healthwatch England has worked with Royal Mail and NHS and patient organisations to ensure that proposed changes improve timely delivery of NHS letters.

The improvements include:

• A new Royal Mail NHS-specific barcode to support mail delivery teams ensures that NHS letters are delivered on time, including at times of service disruptions. Once implemented, the barcode will replace manual extraction of NHS letters and be used to locate NHS letters where Royal Mail is not meeting expected delivery standards.
• A new briefing for NHS organisations to increase awareness and uptake of the variety of Royal Mail services for the timely delivery of NHS letters.

In the open letter, health leaders, joined by Royal Mail, shared how they have worked together to meet the needs of the public and the NHS, as well as pledging to ensure that any future reform reflects the needs of the NHS and patients. 

Jess Slater, CEO, Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, commented on the announcement: 

“We’re really pleased to see this action being taken. The introduction of a dedicated Royal Mail postage class for the NHS, with specific barcodes to speed up the delivery of patient letters, is a direct result of the concerns our local Healthwatch, other local Healthwatch and Healthwatch England raised last year. People told us how delays in receiving letters meant missing vital appointments, and Healthwatch England along with other organisations took that feedback straight to Royal Mail and Ofcom. This change is a great example of what can be achieved when we work together to put patient safety first. It’s also a step towards a more inclusive NHS, one that recognises and supports people who can’t – or choose not to – engage digitally.”

We will be following this story closely and will keep you updated.