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Patchs FAQ

Last Updated: Tuesday, 24 June 2025

Please find our frequently asked questions below. Please use this section to find answers to any questions you may have. 

If your question has not been answered here, please contact the surgery.

What are the benefits of creating a Patchs account?

There are many benefits for you creating a Patchs account, including:

  • Not having to keep entering your details each time you use Patchs
  • Your medical information being safer because it's password protected
  • Being able to track the progress of your requests
  • Easily seeing if your GP practice is trying to contact you
  • Viewing past conversations you've had with your GP practice
  • Being able to submit requests on behalf of people you care for
What information does Patchs ask for when you sign up?

When submitting a request as a patient, Patchs asks for:

1. Your personal details

We ask for your name, sex assigned at birth, and date of birth so we can match your Patchs account with your GP record. This is important for your GP practice to verify your identity and save information to their own records. We ask for your ethnicity to help us monitor for inequalities in how patients access and use Patchs. We want to make sure that no group of patients are disadvantaged by using Patchs.

2. Your contact details

We ask for your phone number and email address so your GP practice knows how best to contact you, and so we can update you with any important changes about Patchs. We ask for your home address as an extra check for your GP practice to make sure your Patchs account matches your GP record.

We ask for this information so we can compare it to your GP record. That way we can be sure that the message has been sent to the correct person.

What information does Patchs ask for when you sign up as somebody's parent or carer?

When submitting a request up as a carer, Patchs asks for:

1. Your personal details (carer)

We ask for your name and relationship to the patient so we can match your details with information held by the GP practice. This is important for your GP practice to verify your identity and relationship to the patient.

2. Your contact details (carer)

We ask for your phone number and email address so your GP practice knows how best to contact you, and so we can update you with any important changes about Patchs.

3. Personal details of the person you care for

We ask for the person you care for's name, sex assigned at birth, and date of birth so we can match your Patchs account with their GP record. This is important for your GP practice to verify their identity and save information to their own records. We ask for their ethnicity to help us monitor for inequalities in how patients access and use Patchs. We want to make sure that no group of patients are disadvantaged by using Patchs.

4. Contact details of the person you care for

We ask for the person you care for's home address as an extra check for their GP practice to make sure your Patchs account matches their GP record.

When viewing a message sent by your GP practice when you don't have an account, Patchs asks for:

  • Your (or the person you care for's) date of birth
I have changed my GP Practice. How can I transfer my PATCHS account to the new practice?

If you're a Patchs patient who has moved to a new GP practice and want to transfer your Patchs account, you can do this from your NEW practice's Patchs landing page.

  1. First, go to your new practice’s website and go to the PATCHS landing page.
  2. Select the Transfer an existing PATCHS account to [the name of your new practice] link at the bottom of the page.
  3. Now, log into PATCHS.
  4. You will be taken to the account transfer page, which explains that you should only transfer your account if both you (and any patients you care for) are registered at the new practice.
  5. To continue with the transfer, you should select the Transfer Patchs account button.
  6. A message will come up asking if you are sure you want to transfer your Patchs account. Confirm the transfer by selecting the ‘Yes, I'm sure button’.
  7. You will then see a confirmation message
  8. Clicking the OK button will take you to your requests and messages page at your new practice, from where you can submit a new request for help.
How can I access Patchs through the NHS App?

We have produced a step by step guide to help to register and link your PATCHS account through your NHS App.

View step instructions on signing up to PATCHS using the NHS App here.

I don’t have the NHS App, can I still use Patchs?

Yes, Patchs is a website in its own right and you are able to sign up without an NHS Log in or NHS App.

View step by step instructions on signing up to PATCHS without the NHS App.

I don't speak English or English is not my first language. Can I still use Patchs?
If you do not speak English or English is not your first language, Patchs provide an optional translation service called Patchs Translate. To translate the text you see in Patchs to a language of your choice, simply select the language from the drop-down menu when you log into Patchs and select 'Make a new request'.
 

Please note: You will need to login into the Patchs online consultation before you can select a different language.