Patient Portal FAQs

Patient Portal is a secure online system provided by Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust that allows our patients to look at information from their hospital record, view Outpatient appointments, receive messages from their hospital care team and complete forms and questionnaires. It is available from patients computer, tablet, or smartphone.

Yes, you can trust it. DrDoctor use a regular mobile phone number to enable you to respond to messages when required. 

If you are recieving SMS messages from the phone number 07860 039092, that is because your Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust (LGT) service is using DrDoctor to communicate with you about your healthcare. 
 
If you would like to receive communications from your LGT hospital to additional phone numbers then you can control your preferences at any time on the Patient Portal.

NHS login is a service that has been created by the NHS. It provides a safe and secure way for patients to access their health and care information with a single login. 
NHS login can be used by patients to securely access their health and care information wherever they see the NHS login button, including the DrDoctor patient portal.  

A single, trusted login account is convenient for patients and, because it’s been developed by the NHS, they know that their health and care data is protected.  

For more information about the NHS login, please visit https://help.login.nhs.uk/ 

The Patient Portal is not a new app, it is the combination of the NHS App, DrDoctor and PKB platforms.The technology coordinates the flow of patient data between the three platforms to ensure patients are given the right information at the right place at the right time. Digital Letters are viewable in the DrDoctor's patient portal, with a view to make them available in the NHS App in the near future.  

Only patients that are 11 years or older can access the DrDoctor portal via NHS login. 
Patients under 11 years old can still access their information via DrDoctor using the guest login. If an appointment is booked for a patient or a letter is sent to a patient, DrDoctor will notify the patient using the mobile number on file. 
In most cases, parents' mobile numbers are used for their children. Patients under 11 years old cannot use NHS Login; they must use the guest login.

This is the standard login for DrDoctor where patients would enter their/their children's demographic details to access DrDoctor (entering their Last Name, DOB, Post Code and then completing the one-time code.

DrDoctor is a Patient Engagement Platform used by over 24 million patients across the UK. DrDoctor provide technology that supports patient communications, appointment management and remote care. 

They have two options for signing in with DrDoctor. They can either use their NHS login account or use DrDoctor simple guest login. They should follow the steps on the screen and they'll get access to DrDoctor portal.

If an appointment is booked for a patient or a letter is sent to a patient, DrDoctor will notify the patient using the mobile number on file. In most cases, parents' mobile numbers are used for their children. Patients under 11 years old cannot use NHS Login; they must use the guest login. This is the standard login for DrDoctor where patients would enter their/their children's demographic details to access DrDoctor (entering their Last Name, Date of Birth, Post Code and then completing the one-time code).

Not yet, but we are working on adding this feature. In the future, we will be able to initiate two-way conversations with patients via Direct Messaging.

If patients prefer to use DrDoctor without an NHS login, they can choose the guest login option. They will need to enter some demographic information to allow DrDoctor to locate their record (last name, date of birth, and postcode) and then they will receive a one-time password on their phone to complete the sign-in.

If you decide that you no longer wish to use the portal, you can de-register by following these steps:

• Log into your account
• Select the hamburger menu (three lines) in the top right and select “My Details”
• At the bottom of this page you will see a red “Delete my account” button, select this
• Now follow the instructions presented on the screen
• If you decide to delete your Patient Portal account, you will be given an option to stop text messages being sent to you.  If you choose this, you will not receive text appointment reminders and further texts inviting you to re-join the Patient Portal when new appointments are scheduled.  Appointment letters and any reminders will all be sent by post.  You will also receive a text confirmation at the end of the process informing you how you can opt back into text messages if you change your mind later.

No. It’s optional and if you don’t sign up we will continue to communicate with you by post and phone.  However, you will miss the opportunity to have your Outpatient appointment, clinic letters, and your hospital health records accessible to you online.  If you choose not to register now, you can change your mind at any time when you have an upcoming Outpatient appointment at Lewisham and Greenwich Hospitals NHS Trust.  You can register on the website (you will need your NHS number) or click on the link we’ve sent on texts inviting you to register.

To register you will need a working email address. At the point of registration, you will be requested to provide your date of birth, email address and mobile phone number.
As part of the registration process, you’ll set up your own username and password.

We recommend that you do not use a shared mobile number when you sign up, as your confidential health information could then be available to others to view.

If you believe the error relates to something important, then please contact your care team.

If the error is not critical then please raise this next time you are visiting the hospital, so that your clinician can correct it when they see you.

The system we are using is in place at a high number of NHS trusts already and has good patient feedback in these trusts. User testing has involved members of staff checking the pathways. As part of our soft go live approach, we will be reviewing patient feedback to understand if there are any improvements to be made.

User testing has been undertaken by the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust Testing Team using test patients and test data across a wide variety of scenarios that patients would experience on the patient platform. When the Patients Know Best platform is live, patients will be invited to register and can explore their own records and give feedback to the patient portal team. 

You can now use your NHS login to access the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Patient Portal. This option now appears on the Patient Portal login page. 

Please read your most recent appointment letter in full for details of what type of appointment you have and any additional instructions. If this is in any way unclear, you can contact the team who have made the booking for you, using the contact details on your appointment letter

Yes, you can register via a computer or tablet. Visit the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust Patient Portal webpage and enter your details. As you will see, there will be a few registration options. You will need your NHS number. You will receive a text message with a 5-digit code on your mobile that you will need to enter on the website to complete the registration process. We recommend saving the Patient Portal website address in your ‘Favorites’ on your computer or tablet for easy access

GP practices are not directly linked to the Patient Portal. The Portal serves as a platform for patients to view and control their healthcare appointments and clinical records. GPs can benefit from being able to access a patient's care plan created by their hospital team if the patient presents this during a GP appointment.

No. This feature will be available in the future.

You will continue to receive paper letters unless you choose to opt out when you join the Patient Portal.  You can change your preferences at any time. Go to the home page and click ‘my details’.  Scroll down to the section called ‘your letter delivery’ to see if you are currently registered for paper free or traditional post. Even if you choose to opt out of paper, we will still send you some letters by post depending on your hospital department.