Digital Letters

Welcome to the Digital Letters page

We have introduced a new digital letter and text message service across the Trust

We will send you a text message with an https://drdoctor.thirdparty.nhs.uk/bth link which allows you to view and download your letters on your mobile phone, tablet or computer.

We have partnered with DrDoctor, a digital health company, to deliver this service. Patients who prefer paper letters can still receive their letters by post as usual.

How to view your digital letter

We’ll send you a text message (and email if requested) when you have a new digital letter to view online
Click the https://drdoctor.thirdparty.nhs.uk/bth link in your text message to go to your secure patient portal
Click ‘View letter’ and log in with your last name, date-of-birth and postcode
View and download your new digital letter online as a PDF. Your letters will be stored here for future reference
You can login from any device by visiting https://drdoctor.thirdparty.nhs.uk/bth. When using a different device, we will send a code to your mobile phone number for security.

How to receive paper letters

Patients who prefer paper letters can still receive their letters by post. We will automatically send you a paper letter if you don’t view your digital letter.

If you want to view your letter online and receive a paper letter by post you can request a paper letter by:

Logging into your secure patient portal, going to the ‘Settings’ tab in the top right, and turn off the paperless option
Reply PRINT to your text message notifying you that you have a new digital letter

Where are digital letters happening?

We have now rolled out this service in departments across the Trust.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How do I know it is not a scam?

All of our digital letter invites come from the same mobile phone number: 07860 039 092. And the link to view your digital letter starts with https://drdoctor.thirdparty.nhs.uk/bth.

I've received a digital letter, but I can't log in with my details

The two most common reasons are:

When the letter is for a family member who we have your mobile phone for (e.g. a child) you need to use their date of birth to verify.
We have an old home address on our system. That means your printed letters would have gone to the old address too!

If you cannot log in with your details, please contact our Central Patient Booking Service on 01274 274 274 and check we have your most up-to-date:

Full name
Date-of-birth
Postcode
Mobile phone number

I can log in but when I try to open my digital letter I get a 404 error message

There are two main reasons why you might get a 404 error message when trying to view your PDF:

The letter is for a family member or relative who is registered with the same phone number or email with the hospital
You are a patient at more than one NHS Trust and when you logged in you choose the wrong Trust portal to log in to

How can I complete my digital letter on my tablet or computer?

If you have followed the link in your text messages and cannot log in with your correct details, we probably do not have your most up-to-date details on our system. Please contact our Central Patient Booking Service on 01274 274 274 and check we have your most up-to-date:

Full name
Date-of-birth
Postcode
Mobile number

I would like to receive email notifications. How can I do this?

You can update your contact details at https://drdoctor.thirdparty.nhs.uk/bth in the settings menu.

Login to the patient portal https://drdoctor.thirdparty.nhs.uk/bth
Go to ‘Settings’ in the top right
Click the ‘Add new’ button
Click ‘Email’
Type in your email address
Click ‘Add’

Does it cost me to reply to a text message?

Text message replies will be free if you have a text message bundle with your provider otherwise you will be charged at your provider’s standard rate.

You can change your digital letter setting online for free by following the link in your text messages or using https://drdoctor.thirdparty.nhs.uk/bth

I am not receiving text messages with digital letters - should I be?

We have now rolled out digital letters in departments across the Trust.

If you should be receiving digital letters but are not we may not have your correct mobile number on our system. Please contact the telephone number in your appointment letter and check we have your most up-to-date mobile number.

What is DrDoctor?

DrDoctor is a digital health company modernising how hospitals and patients communicate. They provide a convenient way for patients to manage your appointments while reducing costs, saving time and developing better overall experiences for patients.

How is my data handled?

To enable us to deliver this service, we give DrDoctor only enough information to provide you with these services.

DrDoctor is accredited to the highest standards set by the NHS for protecting the healthcare information of UK citizens as certified here https://www.dsptoolkit.nhs.uk/OrganisationSearch/8HY91. For more information on DrDoctor’s privacy policy please see https://my.drdoctor.co.uk/privacy.