Sending a message

Tell us who you want to message

You only need a patient’s NHS number to send them messages.

NHS Notify finds people’s contact details using their NHS numbers in the Personal Demographics Service (PDS).

How to provide recipients’ NHS numbers

If you’re using the API

Send recipients’ NHS numbers as part of your request.

Use the format shown in the API documentation (opens in a new tab).

If you’re using MESH

If you’re using the Message Exchange for Social Care and Health (MESH), upload NHS numbers in a CSV file.

The onboarding team will give you an example CSV file on request.

Use the format shown in the API documentation (opens in a new tab).

Providing your own recipient contact details

If you need to use contact details that are not from PDS, you must make a formal request to NHS Notify. Overriding contact details is only granted to specific use cases that provide compelling data to our onboarding team. NHS Notify will consult with relevant NHS England legal and clinical teams for approval.