Consent and lawful basis

The practice confirms it may contact each patient on the number held, for the purpose being used. Administrative reminders about an existing appointment are treated differently from anything promotional, which requires prior agreement.

Identification and channel

• · Messages come from the practice's own number, so patients recognise who is contacting them.
• · Automated messages say so, and always offer a route to a person.
• · Voice calls follow the same rules as text, including the do-not-call and quiet-hour restrictions that apply locally.

Timing and frequency

• · Quiet hours are configured and enforced — nothing is sent outside them.
• · A maximum number of attempts per work item, then the item stops or goes to a person.
• · One conversation per patient at a time; the queue never sends two workflows at a patient simultaneously.

Opt-outs

A recognised stop word suppresses future contact immediately, permanently, and across every workflow. Opt-out records are never deleted, because deleting one would risk contacting someone who asked not to be.

Never sent by message

• · Diagnoses, test results or clinical advice.
• · Payment card numbers or requests for card details.
• · Full identifiers beyond what the patient needs to recognise their own appointment.
• · Marketing to anyone who has not agreed to receive it.

Urgent and distressing replies

Anything that reads as a crisis, a safeguarding concern or acute distress is escalated to a person immediately, with signposting to emergency services where the practice has configured it. The platform never attempts to manage an emergency on its own.

Complaints

A patient complaint about being contacted is escalated to the practice the same working day, with the full thread attached, and the patient is suppressed from further outreach until it is resolved.