A barcode system will be introduced to automatically identify, separate and process NHS letters, The Telegraph has revealed.

The special NHS barcodes have been agreed by the health service and Royal Mail after consultation with patient groups.

Late letters are behind two million of the eight million missed NHS appointments each year, according to Healthwatch analysis.

The new barcode system will mean the letters can be filtered from other post and prioritised, even during times strikes or when the Royal Mail is missing its service targets.

While the method NHS trusts send the post by will remain up to them, the new barcode system will automate the extraction process and, in theory, increase the number arriving on time.

Wes Streeting told The Telegraph: ‘As we modernise the NHS and upgrade the NHS App, I'm aware that some patients will always prefer letters.

'The important thing is that people have a genuine choice. This agreement will help ensure patients get their appointment information when they need it, however they choose to receive it.'

Saffron Cordery, interim chief executive of NHS Providers, said: ‘It's important that letters reach people on time so they aren't missing appointments or at risk of losing their place in the queue for care, and not everyone can go online or has a smartphone. By working together we can make changes that meet the needs of patients and the NHS, including cutting trusts' costs at a time when budgets are stretched to the limit.'

 

Emma Gilthorpe, the Royal Mail chief executive, added: ‘We have put the needs of the NHS at the heart of our universal service reform proposals, ensuring we can deliver a range of service options for appointments and results sent by GP surgeries, NHS bodies and hospitals across the country.

'We have also been working with NHS providers and patient groups to ensure the timely delivery of identifiable medical letters and welcome the truly collaborative approach taken.'