Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to mitigate patient safety risks arising from delayed delivery of NHS clinical correspondence through the postal system.

The Government recognises the importance of timely delivery of National Health Service clinical correspondence and the risks to patient safety because of delayed or lost correspondence.

The monitoring of patient correspondence is the responsibility of individual NHS providers and integrated care boards (ICBs).

Recognising the need to embrace digital solutions, as outlined in the 10-Year Health Plan, the NHS is transitioning to a digital-first model for patient communications, with the NHS App becoming the primary channel for messaging. This will improve accessibility, efficiency, and overall patient experience. The 10-Year Health Plan is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-term-plan/#

In the last year, over 88 million messages were read in the NHS App. By the end of March 2026, NHS England are aiming to send over 270 million messages digitally-first via the NHS App.

Digital-first does not mean digital-only. Letters will continue to be sent to patients who need them. All providers of NHS funded care or adult social care must have regard to the accessible information standard. It means they should ensure that disabled people and people with impairments or sensory loss can access and understand information about NHS and social care services, and receive the communication support they need to use those services.