Frequently asked questions

West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust offer patients a portal called PPUK to offer a better experience managing your health online. The portal will make it easier for you to access your medical information as we work to streamline the portals we offer.

The key benefit is improved access: PPUK offers a user-friendly design, so it will be simpler to find what you need—such as test results or appointments.

At present, the patient portal is available to West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust patients aged 16 and over. In time we want all our patients to have access to the portal. We also want to enable people’s authorised carers and the parents of younger patients to access the patient portal on their behalf.

To register for the portal, you need to be a patient at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust and have an outpatient appointment booked.

Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

• A valid UK mobile phone number and email address on file with the hospital. You’ll also need your mobile to accept a code to login (two factor authentication)
• Be 16 or older
• Your NHS number (you can find this 10-digit number on your hospital letters)
• Be registered for the NHS App

Once you have these, you’ll be ready to sign up easily!

If you didn't receive a text message about your appointment with the portal link, you can register for the Patient Portal if you have an upcoming appointment.

How to register for the Patient Portal:

1. Receive Your Invitation:- You will get a message inviting you to register for the Patient Portal.
2. Open the invitation message: - Simply click on the message to open it.
3. Decide if you want to register:If you don’t want to register, reply with ‘Opt Out’.If you want to join, continue to the next step.
4. Log in with your NHS app details:You’ll be prompted to log in with your NHS account.Enter the email address and password that you use for the NHS app
5. Verify Your Identity:A 6-digit security code will be sent to your mobile phone. Enter that code when prompted.
6. Set your communication preferences:Provide your consent to receive messages (e.g., email or phone).
7. Choose paper or paper-free:Decide if you want to go paper-free (get digital letters) or stick with traditional mail.
8. Finish your registration:Once everything is set, click ‘Continue’.
9. Logged in to the portal:You’ll see a login screen.
10. Explore the portal (Optional):You can also look around the portal to access other features and information.

That’s it! Your registration is complete, and you can now use the portal.

We are only able to link one patient portal to one email address.

No, because of legal requirements concerning confidentiality of health records. However, we know that many patients rely on people close to them to help them manage their healthcare. We are working to develop secure processes so that authorised representatives can manage an account on a patient’s behalf. We are also looking at ways for children to access information via the portal.

Patients that have registered for the portal can access the login page (opens in new tab) on their PC or mobile device. The portal is available around the clock on a computer, tablet or smartphone.

To log in you can follow the below steps:

1. Access the Patient Portal homepage (opens in new tab)
2. Select continue to NHS log In button
3. Complete your email address linked to your NHS App
4. Enter your password for your NHS App
5. Select Log In
6. You will be sent a numerical code to your mobile to authenticate your identity.
7. Select Next
8. You should now be presented with your homepage.

If you decide that you no longer wish to use the portal anymore, then you don’t have to re-register for the new portal.

If you do register for the new portal, you can choose to de-register. Please follow the below steps to complete this process:

1. Log into your account
2. Select the hamburger menu (three lines) in the top right and select "My Details"
3. At the bottom of this page you will see a red "Delete my account" button, select this
4. Now follow the instructions presented on the screen

If you decide to delete your account with us you will be given an option at the end of the process to stop SMS being sent to you. If you choose to no longer receive SMS you will instead receive paper letters from your hospital. You will also receive an SMS confirmation at the end of the process informing you how you can opt back into SMS if you change your mind later.