If you have an appointment booked with UCLH and an earlier slot becomes available on short notice, you may be notified of the earlier appointment through MyCare.
You can then log into MyCare to choose whether to take the earlier appointment without needing to call the department. You do not need to do anything unless you would like an earlier appointment.
How it works
- If an earlier appointment becomes available, we may send you an offer through MyCare.
- You can choose whether to accept the earlier date or keep your current appointment.
- If you do not respond, your original appointment stays the same.
- Appointments are offered fairly on a first come, first served basis.
This is part of our ongoing work to improve patient experience and making it easier for patients to manage their own appointments.
Earlier appointment offers help to:
- Make better use of appointment slots that become free at short notice.
- Reduce waiting times where possible.
- Give patients more flexibility and choice.
Who will receive earlier appointment offers?
We are slowly introducing this service across different clinics and specialties. For now, earlier appointment offers through MyCare are only available for some Respiratory and ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) clinics. We will gradually extend this to more services over the next two years.
What happens when I receive an earlier appointment offer?
If a suitable earlier appointment becomes available, you will receive a notification via your enabled channel(s). The offer will include:
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The date and time of the available earlier appointment.
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The location of the appointment.
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The name of the clinician (where applicable).
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A deadline by which you must respond (offers expire after 8 hours).
You will have two options:
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Accept new time: Your appointment will be automatically rescheduled to the earlier slot and you will receive a confirmation.
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Keep existing time: Your existing appointment remains unchanged.
If you do not respond before the offer expires, your original appointment will stay the same.
Do I have to accept an earlier appointment?
No. Taking an earlier appointment is always your choice. If you receive an offer and prefer to keep your existing appointment, simply decline it or allow it to expire. Your original appointment will not be affected.
How long do I have to act on an offer?
Earlier appointment offers will be available for up to 8 hours. Offers work on a first come, first served basis. This means that if another patient accepts their offer first, then the offer will become unavailable for you.
Can I receive more than one offer?
Yes. If you remain on the Short Notice List and additional earlier slots open up, you may receive further offers. Each offer must be responded to individually.
Will earlier appointment offers work if I do not have a smartphone?
Offers can be delivered via email as well as push notifications. As long as you have a MyCare account and a valid email address registered, you can still receive and respond to offers through the MyCare website on any device connected to the internet.
What if I change my mind after accepting an earlier appointment offer?
If you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment that was updated in this way, please contact the clinic directly. You can find the contact details on your appointment letter in MyCare.
How do I make sure I can receive these offers when available?
To receive earlier appointment offers, you need to have an active MyCare account and have notifications switched on.
If you are not registered yet, you can find out more and sign up on our MyCare pages.
If you need help activating your account, please ask at your next appointment or contact the MyCare help desk at uclh.
Turn on notifications in MyCare
Earlier appointment offers are sent via MyCare. To make sure you do not miss an offer, we recommend enabling notifications through at least one of the following channels:
- Push notifications via the MyCare app (recommended for fastest response).
- Email notifications to your registered email address.
To check or update your notification preferences:
- Log in to MyCare (mobile app or browser).
- Go to Menu > Communication Preferences.
- In the Appointments section, click Advanced settings.
- Under Short Notice List Offer, ensure you have at least one notification method turned on (Email, Text message, or Push notification).
- Confirm you have selected to be automatically signed up for earlier offers.
- Save any changes.
Add yourself to the Short Notice List (optional)
You can proactively add yourself to the Short Notice List for your upcoming appointment. Being on the Short Notice List means you will be amongst the first contacted if an earlier slot becomes available in your service.
To join the Short Notice List:
- Log in to MyCare and go to Appointments.
- Find the relevant upcoming appointment.
- Click Details.
- Look for the option labelled "Want an earlier time?” and click “Get on the Short Notice List”.
If you are on a mobile application, look for the “Want to be seen earlier?” section and click “Opt in to offers”. -
If you see “You will be notified if an earlier time becomes available”, you are already on the Short Notice List for this appointment and do not need to add yourself. You can remove yourself if needed by clicking “Get off the Short Notice List”.
On mobile, you can tell if you are already on the Short Notice List if you see an option to Opt out of offers. -
You will now see “You will be notified if an earlier time becomes available”, which means you are now on the short notice list for this appointment.
Need more support?
For more information on MyCare, see MyCare UCLH | Manage Your UCLH Appointments, Records and Results Online
For any technical issues with MyCare, email the MyCare technical help desk at uclh.
If you have questions about your appointment, please contact your clinical team via the details on your appointment letter or in MyCare.