County GPs facing a cap on number of texts to patients

ALL 126 GPs across the county are now facing a new limit on the number of text messages they can send, after previously enjoying an unlimited cap.

- By LOUIS CORBETT

New changes effective from April 1 will place a cap on their spending to encourage practices to use their communication budget more efficiently.

Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board (NNICB) brought in the change after a number of texts racked up an expensive bill for the care board.

In the past few years, SMS messaging has cost the board £495,224 in 2023/2024 and £682,667 in 2024/2025.

NNICB has now set a £480,000 limit for all 126 GP Practices to use to communicate with patients throughout 2026/2027, with practices to individually determine how they will use their limit.

The amount allocated to each practice will be determined by the number of patients it serves and whether it is in a deprived area where patients may be less likely to have access to smart phones or email.