Message a doctor: the essentials.
- 01
Which questions fit a message?
A message can be useful for explaining a non-urgent question, asking what a report term means, or clarifying the next step from an existing care conversation. It is not an emergency channel. Whether a particular clinician can advise you depends on service availability, your location and the question itself.
- 02
Write the message so it can be answered
Start with the main question. Add when the issue began, relevant symptoms, current medicines and what you have already been told. Attach original records only through the secure care channel offered by the provider. Avoid sending a long list of numbers without dates, units or a reason for the question.
- 03
Check response times and what is included
Before paying or submitting, confirm the clinician, fee, expected response time and whether follow-up questions are included. Ask what happens if your concern needs an examination or a test. A message service should explain its limits instead of leaving you to guess whether waiting is appropriate.
- 04
Know when to use another route
If symptoms are urgent, worsening or require hands-on assessment, use an appropriate local service. Keep the final reply and any agreed follow-up with your records. Open the ONU app to check the care options available to your account.
Understand the available care pathways.
