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Wirral University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

FAQs: Health Care Communications

1. Who are HealthCare Communications?
Healthcare Communications (HCC) are the external company approved by Wirral University Teaching Hospital to provide a reminder service to patients regarding their planned outpatient appointments to reduce the number of appointments being missed.

2. What is the National Friends and Family Test?
NHS England set out guidance that anyone who uses a NHS service should have the opportunity to provide feedback on their experience. Service users will be asked to answer the following question: “How likely are you to recommend our service to friends and family if they needed similar care or treatment?” Service users can respond by choosing one of the following options; Extremely likely, Likely, Neither likely or unlikely, Extremely unlikely or Don’t know.
To see the results of the Friends and Family Test please visit click here or for further information please visit NHS England’s website 

3. Why am I being contacted?
Healthcare Communications administrate the National Friends and Family Test Text and Voice Message Service for WUTH. Once you have attended your appointment HCC will contact you and ask for your feedback. If you are a frequent attender you will only be asked once within a 30 day period.

4. How will HCC contact me?
HCC may contact you via mobile phone or via home telephone landline.

5. I missed the telephone call, will I be called back?
You will be contacted again by HCC until you have been able to provide a response or until you have opted out.

6. How do I opt out of being contacted?
To opt out of receiving text message please reply “STOP”. To opt out of receiving home telephone calls please answer the phone and say “STOP”.

7. I think I am receiving cold calls
To activate the telephone call from HCC please say hello, this is because HCC need to
hear your voice in order for the automated survey to start, this is to ensure that you do not
miss any vital information.

8. When asked why have you chosen that response (how likely you are to
recommend the service to your friends and family) why can I only choose one
option?
Currently feedback from the voicemail service and the text response only allows patients to
indicate one reason as to why they have chosen that response. However we are looking at
changing this in the future to allow for multiple options to be chosen.

9. Are my contact details passed on to other companies?
No, under the Data Protection Act 1988 WUTH and HCC are not allowed to pass on your
contact information to anyone else.

10. Can I use this method of feedback to direct concerns about my care?
You can use this method to leave comments as to why you have chosen to recommend or
not recommend our services. However if you require specific feedback regarding concerns
about your care please contact our Patient Relations Team on 0800 432 0251.