Digital Letters

Patients at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust can now view and download their appointment letters online.

The service has launched initially for our adult services at our Bristol hospital sites, with a view to extend to patients at Weston General Hospital in due course.

View and download your letters online instantly

Receive notifications when you have a new digital letter, and login to your patient portal to view it online. We have partnered with DrDoctor to deliver this service.   

We will send you a text message or email with a link to your letter and patient portal. You can access this on your mobile phone, tablet or computer.   Patients who prefer paper letters can still receive their letters by post as usual.   

The DrDoctor online portal for UHBW is at drdoctor.thirdparty.nhs.uk/UHBW. You will need to sign in to view appointment information and letters.

Why are we introducing digital letters?  

We are introducing digital letters to allow us to:  

  • Let you view you letters quickly and easily  
  • Reduce confusion from lost letters or letters arriving in the wrong order  
  • Save the NHS money by reducing the amount of paper and stamps we are using  
  • Reduce our environmental impact  

How to view your digital letter     

  1. If we have your correct details, we'll send you a text message or email when you have a new digital letter to view online  
  2. Click the drdoctor.thirdparty.nhs.uk link in your text message to go to your secure patient portal  
  3. Click 'View letter' and log in with your last name, date of birth and postcode
  4. View and download your new digital letter online as a PDF. Your letters will be stored here for future reference  
  5. You can login from any internet connected device by visiting drdoctor.thirdparty.nhs.uk/UHBW    

When using a device other than your mobile phone, we will send a code to your mobile phone for security.   

How to receive paper letters   

Patients who prefer paper letters can still receive their letters by post as usual. 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:  

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