Language options for e-RS reminder letters
The NHS e-Referral Service Assisted Digital Service Line currently sends out reminder letters to patients who have not booked a hospital appointment following a referral by a clinician, or if appointments are cancelled and not rebooked.
These letters are printed in English (as the default) but can also be printed in a range of other languages:
- Albanian
- Arabic
- Bengali
- English
- French
- Greek
- Gujarati
- Hindi
- Hungarian
- Italian
- Kurdish
- Lithuanian
- Persian
- Polish
- Portuguese
- Punjabi
- Romanian
- Russian
- Slovak
- Somali
- Spanish
- Tamil
- Turkish
- Urdu
The letters can also be sent out in Braille and large print formats.
Additionally, all patients wishing to book or change their appointment can be supported by Assisted Digital Service through the language line where appropriate. This provides verbal support for many languages, enabling appointments and choice discussions to be accessible by everyone.
To support patients who would benefit from the alternative language or visual support options, staff at GP practices need to ensure that the language and communication preferences set for the patient are appropriate. English is the default setting.
These are stored as part of the record held on the Personal Demographics Service (PDS) and can be quickly updated in e-RS using the ‘Update patient and contact details' option.
Last edited: 24 February 2025 8:02 am