How are messages sent via iPlato?
iPlato messages can be sent via four pathways. This includes the myGP app, the NHS app, standard SMS and email messaging. Data messages, i.e. MyGP and NHS App messages are sent first. Should these fail to deliver within 4 hours, an SMS fallback message is sent. Head to "What is a fallback?" at the bottom of this article to learn more about this mechanism.
How do I send messages to the NHS app from the Toolbar?
Select the option to send your message via the NHS app in toolbar like this:
Does a patient need to do anything in the NHS app to receive messages?
Yes - only patients who have enabled notifications in the NHS app can receive messages from you this way.
Once this is done, all future messages will be sent via the app, keeping everything in one place.
Which of my patients has the NHS app?
We can show you who at your practice has downloaded the NHS app, not only that we can also show you who has also turned on their notifications in the NHS app.
This is important because only the patients who have enabled notifications will be able to receive messages via the NHS app, so you will want to let your patients know this to get the most out of it.
CLICK HERE to see how to search for your NHS app patients.
If a patient has the NHS App installed on their device, and has their NHS App notifications switched on, you will see NHS App available in this drop-down menu:
When selected, the toolbar will explain how NHS App fallbacks work:
(Please note that at the moment, it is not possible to add a selfbook link to NHS Messaging. This is something the iPlato Team is working on developing.)
What is a "Fallback"?
A fallback occurs when a data message (NHS App or myGP app) fails. Failures can happen for many reasons such as:
Patient doesn't have any internet connectivity on their device
The patient's device is switched off, damaged or disconnected from the mobile operator
The patient has recently uninstalled the app
The patient has recently turned app notifications off
When a message fails, iPlato will automatically send exactly the same message via SMS - this is also known as a "fallback" message.
Important: For Toolbar messages - fallbacks occur if the message is not read on the NHS App within 4 hours from the time it was successfully delivered. This may result in the patient receiving the same message twice - once on the NHS App and once by SMS.