Could the next evolution of SMS signal the end for traditional patient letters? Let’s talk about the potential of RCS

Sending outbound communications to patients is an expensive necessity, costing the NHS in the region of £540m every year. The introduction of digital letters and the NHS App has shown that there’s appetite for a more practical, patient-friendly alternative to posting letters, with more than 34 million users so far.

But there’s an even more promising route that healthcare communications can take – one that offers verified, two-way interactions that not only allow NHS trusts to reach out but also give patients easy access to information about their health and care.

That route is Rich Communication Services, a full-featured successor of SMS that’s now available on Android and iOS. It’s already transforming the way businesses interact with their customers – and is set to do the same for healthcare.

RCS: A new way to engage

Patients increasingly expect healthcare to mirror the convenience, personalisation, and availability on offer across the consumer sector. Ramping up digital engagement is now essential to meet these demands, address access challenges, and improve patient experiences.

Letters get lost in the post; calls go to voicemail. And this can set a patient’s care back months while wasting NHS resources. But people pay close attention to their messages and, vitally, they readily want to engage with RCS features.

RCS introduces advanced multimedia elements to native messaging – so there’s no need to download a separate app. This can include images, audio, interactive buttons to confirm or rebook appointments, and even live maps to help patients navigate to their appointment.

It also offers the ability to verify messages; in sectors like retail, this is ideal for maintaining a brand’s image, but in healthcare, this reassures patients that messages are legitimate and secure. With some patients ignoring important health communications through fear of scams, this ensures they know exactly where the message is from.

A practical alternative to traditional channels

Creating clearer routes for two-way communication between patients and their healthcare providers offers more convenience, greater personalisation, and helps engage patients in ways that fit with their lifestyle and preferences.

On the provider’s side, introducing RCS reduces the costs and administrative burden on patient access and admin teams while offering new methods of proactive engagement and automation.

Messages sent via RCS include read receipts and contextual actions – such as adding an appointment to the calendar – as well as linking patients to important pre-appointment information. That means clinicians can be confident that their patients are fully prepared, and treatment won’t be delayed. Combined with automated reminders sent close to the appointment date, which has been shown to reduce did not attends by up to 80 per cent, this will help deliver the best possible health outcome for patients.

Interactivity and accessibility at every step

The interactivity of RCS creates app-like experiences for patients throughout their care pathway, simplifying the process of managing appointments and accessing healthcare information.

For example, a patient can receive their appointment details through RCS and confirm or self-schedule instantly via suggested reply buttons, and even complete a digital pre-assessment form by clicking on a rich media link. Not only does this reduce inbound phone traffic during operating hours, but it also offers patients the convenience of 24/7 digital engagement – an option favoured by 73 per cent of patients (The state of patient access 2.0 white paper, 2021).

Providers can embed a conversational AI chatbot within the interaction to instantly answer routine patient queries about consultation, conditions, or procedures at any time – and escalate to hands-on support from care teams for more complex questions. And then, post-appointment, the patient can receive personalised aftercare guidance and even provide feedback on their experience.

This proactive engagement can extend long past the original appointment, too. Regular, automated check-ins with patients, especially after procedures, medication changes, or a serious diagnosis, can help chart their progress, and give them an opportunity to raise concerns before any new symptoms can have adverse effects. The chatbot can flag potential risks to the patient’s care team and enable prompt intervention – leading to better long-term outcomes, with evidence suggesting readmissions could reduce by as much as 50 per cent with better communications in recovery.

Let’s embrace the future of patient engagement

This is all achievable through a single conversation thread in RCS, centralising information for patients and empowering them to manage their healthcare journey while relieving the pressure on overstretched access teams.

Now’s the time to make decisive choices about the future of patient engagement in the NHS. With RCS, there’s a secure, open connection between patients and their care teams, providing an easy-access, reliable source of advice and support on top of simple appointment management tools. It’s the natural next step for healthcare communication.

RCS is a key channel supported by the Webex Connect platform, our highly secure omnichannel communications platform, designed to bring new channels and innovative experiences to healthcare – you can learn more here.