Care Opinion

Text size

Theme

Language

Videos in BSL or ISL
Help with language translation
Help with reading or listening

Wasteful number of unneeded letters received

Posted By Jing33

"Wasteful number of unneeded letters received"

About: Okehampton Community Hospital / Therapies

(as a service user),

After a hip injury I have been referred for physiotherapy and also hydrotherapy, which I'm really pleased with. I recently had my first hydrotherapy session, and I booked five more sessions when I was there. I received text messages to confirm my appointments, which is a good system. However, I then received four separate letters about my appointments! Each letter was accompanied by two pages of information. I think this is an extremely wasteful use of NHS resources. I didn't need any letters to confirm my appointments, but surely only one letter could have been sent. 

Waiting Time

Waiting time


More about:
Do you have a similar story to tell? Tell your story & make a difference ››

Responses

Response from Clare Cambray, Advance Practitioner Physiotherapist & MSK professional Lead (Community Care Group), Community MSK, Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust 3 weeks ago
Clare Cambray
Advance Practitioner Physiotherapist & MSK professional Lead (Community Care Group), Community MSK,
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Submitted on 11/11/2025 at 16:37
Published on Care Opinion at 16:43

Dear Jing33, Thanks for your great comments about the care you received in Physiotherapy and hydrotherapy. Thanks for your feedback about the excessive letters and appreciate your concern for the waste of resources. I am glad the text message reminders worked well for you. Some patients find signing up to My CARE helps manage appointments too.

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful
Response from Lisa Townsend, Patient Experience Feedback Lead, Patient Experience Team, Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust 3 weeks ago
Lisa Townsend
Patient Experience Feedback Lead, Patient Experience Team,
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

I take patient feedback and work with all departments at Royal Devon University Hospital NHS Trust to implement service change and improve the patient experience.

Submitted on 12/11/2025 at 08:44
Published on Care Opinion at 08:44

picture of Lisa Townsend

Dear Jing33

Thank you for sharing your experience and I am glad to hear the sessions are going well. It sounds like you feel confident managing your care without receiving letters, and we appreciate you highlighting the impact this has on NHS resources.

Please can I echo what Clare has said, if you haven’t already, you might find it helpful to sign up for MYCARE, our secure online patient portal. Through MYCARE, you can manage your appointments and choose your communication preferences, including stopping letters from being sent. This can help reduce paper waste and ensure you receive information in the way that works best for you.

Information on MYCARE is available here.

Kind regards

Lisa

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful
Opinions
Next Response j
Previous Response k