My Health and Wellbeing Patient Portal Frequently asked questions
Q1: What is the My Health and Wellbeing patient portal?
My Health and Wellbeing is an easy-to-use NHS internet portal for patients living in Herefordshire and Worcestershire to help them manage their health and wellbeing in one place.
The portal has been developed by the three hospital Trusts (Worcestershire Acute Hospital NHS Trust, Wye Valley NHS Trust and Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust) for patients living in Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
Q2: What is a patient portal?
A patient portal is a secure online website that gives registered patients convenient, 24-hour access to appointments and personal health information from anywhere with an internet connection.
Q3: Do I have to join the portal?
Joining the patient portal is optional, and it will not affect your care if you choose not to sign up.
If you choose to register, you will automatically start receiving your outpatient appointment letters and outpatient clinic letters from your local hospital trust via the portal instead of by post. As there is a phased roll-out of the portal, you might find that there is a transitional period where you still receive some outpatient appointments and clinic letters in the post, but gradually all outpatient appointments and clinic letters from the three hospital trusts will be available to view in the portal.
Controls are in place so if a patient doesn’t open their appointment or clinic letter via the portal within a few days, an alert will be triggered at the relevant hospital trust and a letter will be posted out to the patient to ensure that they don’t miss important communication, such as an appointment.
Q4: What can the portal currently do?
The My Health and Wellbeing portal allows you to see your local hospital appointments and clinic letters on your smartphone, computer or tablet device, instead of receiving them in the post.
There are helpful resources, including health trackers and a health video library with more than 1,000 patient information videos, to help you find resources to support your care.
For patients registered with a GP practice in England, the patient portal will enable your appointment information to appear in the NHS App too.
You can also create your own support network by inviting family, friends, or carers to join your ‘circle of care’, so you can share information with them to support your care.
Q5: What future features are being developed?
New features are being developed. For instance, soon you’ll also be able to request to cancel and rebook your appointments using the portal. You will also be able to complete questionnaires and assessments prior to your hospital appointments, so that clinicians can see this information before your appointment.
Q6: Can anyone use the My Health and Wellbeing portal?
The My Health and Wellbeing portal is currently available to all patients who are aged 16 and over, who are registered with a GP practice in Herefordshire and Worcestershire, and who have an NHS number.
Patients registered with a GP practice in Wales who have an NHS number and are a patient of a hospital trust in Herefordshire and Worcestershire, will also be able to create a portal account and view their Herefordshire and Worcestershire appointments and outpatient clinic letters via the portal.
Q7: Do I need special software or devices to use the portal?
You need an internet connection and a suitable electronic device, such as a computer, tablet device or smartphone. The portal can be accessed using most internet browsers. If you have trouble viewing the portal, you might need to get an updated version of your web browser.
Q8: Is the Patient Portal the same as the NHS App?
The patient portal and the NHS App are two different secure services for accessing your healthcare information. Both the portal and the NHS App are accessed using your NHS Login. For patients registered with a GP practice in England, the patient portal will enable your appointment information to appear in the NHS App too.
The My Health and Wellbeing patient portal is designed for patients in Herefordshire and Worcestershire and offers more local information on your hospital outpatient appointments.
The NHS App is a national application that allows you to access various NHS services online, such as order your repeat prescriptions and view your GP health record.
Further information on the NHS App can be found on the NHS website: www.
For help with creating your NHS Login, please see question 10.
Q9: How do I register for the My Health and Wellbeing portal?
For patients registered with a GP practice in Herefordshire and Worcestershire, to register for the My Health and Wellbeing portal, you will need to have created your NHS Login first. To set this up you will need an email address (with more than 6 characters) and a mobile phone number.
The first time you set up your NHS login, you'll need to prove who you are. This is so you can be connected to your NHS record. It also protects your health information.
Once you've registered for NHS Login and passed all the identity checks, you can then log into the My Health and Wellbeing portal using the following link:
https://
Patients registered with a GP practice in England, simply click: ‘Continue with NHS Login’ to create a portal account.
Patients registered with a GP practice in Wales, need to click the: ‘Sign up’ button on the login page to create a portal account. Besides an email address and password, you’ll need to enter your name, date of birth, phone number and NHS number. You’ll then be sent email and SMS verification codes to authenticate your identity when you log into the portal.
Q10: How do I set up my NHS login?
The NHS has produced an instructional video and a step-by-step guide to support patients access health and social care services with NHS login. The video is available below:
The step-by-step guide to help patients set up their NHS Login can be found via the following link:
Getting patients started with NHS login - NHS Digital
Q11: How do I register to the portal if I don’t know my NHS number?
If you don’t know your NHS number, you can use this web page on the NHS website to find it online:
https://
If you cannot get your NHS number online, you can find it on any letter from the NHS, like a prescription or appointment letter, or call your GP surgery and ask them for your NHS number.
Q12: Can I register to the portal if I have a temporary NHS number?
Yes, patients can register with NHS login using a temporary NHS number.
However, if the temporary NHS number was used to register to the portal and is then changed, the patient needs to let the support desk know, by emailing: myhealthandwellbeing.
Q13: Can I ask a carer or family member to register on my behalf?
If you’re happy to share your details, a carer or family member can help you to create your portal account.
Once you’ve registered to the portal, you can invite carers or family members to join your ‘circle of care’, and select what information you’re happy to share with them.
Q14: I use a joint email address with a family member, can we both register for the portal?
No. One of you will need to create a new email address if you both want to register for the portal.
Q15: I have a mobile but it’s not a smart phone. Can I still register for the portal?
No. Unfortunately you can only register to the portal using a smartphone, tablet device or computer.
Q16: Is my data secure?
Yes. The My Health and Wellbeing patient portal uses the same technology that other websites use to gather sensitive information. The padlock on the web browser assures you the site is secure.
For patients registered with a GP practice in Herefordshire and Worcestershire, to access the portal, you need to create an NHS Login if you haven’t already done this.
NHS Login is a service that has been created by the NHS for patients and the public. It provides a handy way for patients to access multiple digital health and social care services with a single login, which includes authentication for returning users.
NHS Login can be used by the public to securely access their health and care information wherever they see the NHS Login button.
For patients registered in Wales who are receiving treatment in Herefordshire and Worcestershire, there is a different login and verification process, which uses your NHS number and brief personal details. Please select the ‘Sign up’ button to register, and the ‘Login’ button to access the portal once you’ve created your portal account. Please don’t use the ‘Continue to NHS Login’ button.
Q17: Who can see the information I input into the portal?
Only you can access your My Health and Wellbeing portal account, unless you choose to invite family, friends or carers to your ‘circle of care’ in your portal account, and grant them access to certain parts of your health information.
Each time you login, you’ll be asked for your email address and password. You’ll then be taken through an authentication step where a code is sent to your mobile phone number to verify it is you.
Q18: If I update my personal information on the portal, will it update my patient record?
No, if your details have changed, please contact your GP practice and the hospital to let them know.
Q19: What should I do if I spot information in the patient portal that is not correct, or not related to my care and treatment?
If you believe the error relates to something clinically important, please contact the clinical service or team delivering your care. Contact information can be found on letters sent to you from the hospital, or you can find contact details for services and staff on the hospital’s website.
If the error is not urgent, then please raise this next time you are visiting the hospital, so that it can be corrected at that time.
Q20: Will all my letters be on the patient portal?
Once you have created your portal account, outpatient appointment and clinic letters that routinely get printed or posted by your local hospital trust will be available to view in the portal.
However, as the portal is being introduced to patients by the three hospital trusts in a phased approach, starting with Wye Valley NHS Trust, you might find that there is a transitional period where you still receive some outpatient appointments and clinic letters in the post, but gradually most outpatient appointments and clinic letters from the three hospital trusts will be available to view in the portal.
To support the NHS Net Zero ambition, by registering to the portal you are choosing to go paperless with communication from your local NHS hospital trust. However, controls are in place so if you don’t open your appointment or outpatient clinic letter via the portal, a letter will be posted out to you to ensure that you don’t miss important communication, such as an appointment.
Q21: Who do I contact if I need help with my appointments?
You should contact your local NHS hospital trust which is responsible for your care. You should be able to find contact details in the appointment information in the portal, or visit the hospital website.
Q22: How do I cancel or change my appointment?
Currently, you’ll need to telephone the hospital booking team who made your appointment.
Soon, you’ll be able to request to cancel and rebook your hospital appointments via the portal too.
Q23: How can I use the portal when I don’t have a computer, smartphone or tablet device?
All libraries in Herefordshire and Worcestershire have free public computers and Wi-Fi to help you access digital healthcare services. Please remember to close all browsers after using the portal in a library.
Joining the patient portal is optional, and it will not affect your care if you choose not to sign up.
Q24: I’ve forgotten my password and cannot log in. What should I do?
If you have forgotten your password, please click the password reset link on the login screen.
Q25: What do I do if I experience technical difficulties with the portal?
Please contact the help desk by emailing: myhealthandwellbeing.
Q26: How do I invite a carer or family member to my circle of care?
You need to be logged into the portal and from the dashboard, select ‘Connect’ and ‘Circle of care’ in the sub-menu. Next, click the ‘Add new’ button and enter the details of the person you want to invite, including their email address. If you don’t know their NHS number, leave this blank. In the ‘Please choose their permissions’ section, you can then select what information you’re happy to share with them by clicking the tick boxes. Finally, click the ‘Invite’ button, which will activate an email to be sent to the individual, inviting them to join your circle of care.
Q27: If I invite someone to my circle of care, do I have control over what information they can see?
Yes, you do. There are tick boxes so you can select what type of information you’re happy to share with individual people in your circle of care. You can also login to the portal to change permissions or withdraw access at any time.
Q28: How do I delete my account if I join the portal and then change my mind?
To delete your portal account, log into the portal and click on the icon of a person in the top right-hand corner of the main 'Dashboard' page. Select 'Account' from the dropdown menu which will appear, and this will take you to your 'Account overview' page. Select the 'Deleting my account' tab at the top of the page, which will take you to the 'Delete my account' page. Simply select your reason for deleting your account and then press the 'Delete account' button.
Q29: How do I view my appointments in the portal?
On a smartphone, click the ‘Menu’ button on the top left of the screen to navigate to different areas of the portal. On a computer, simply click the tabs at the top of the screen which help you find different areas of the portal.
To see your appointments, select ‘My health’ and then select ‘Appointments’ from the sub-menu. The current date is highlighted by a large circle. The small dots underneath any of the dates indicate a past or future appointment. To view the details of the appointment, click on the date and the details about your appointment will be displayed.
You can also use the left or right arrow to scroll between months to view previous or future appointments. Alternatively, use the sub-menu to view a list of upcoming, past or cancelled appointments.
You might find it helpful to watch this video which shows you how to view appointments in the portal:
https://
Q30: How do I view my letters in the portal?
Once you’ve logged into the portal on a smartphone and are on the ‘Dashboard’ page, to view your letters, click the Menu button on the top left of the screen to navigate to different areas of the portal. Select ‘My health’ and then choose ‘Documents’ in the sub-menu. Scroll down to see appointment correspondence and click ‘View’ to see your appointment letter.
On a computer, once logged into the portal, simply click on the ‘My Health’ and ‘Documents’ tabs at the top of the screen to see your appointment correspondence and click on ‘View’ to see your letter.
You might find it helpful to watch this video which shows you how to view letters in the portal:
https://
Please note that only letters which are sent to you after you create your portal account will be available to view in the portal.
