Royal Berkshire Connect

What information can I see on Royal Berkshire Connect?

You can see an extract of information we hold about your care on our electronic patient record system. Once registered you will be able to:

• see details of hospital appointments such as date, time, and location.
• confirm or request to cancel or reschedule your outpatient appointments.
• add reminders to your personal calendar, and view directions to the hospital
• see any allergies you have told us about.
• see any blood pressure, pulse or temperature that we recorded during you hospital visit.
• find quick directions to our hospitals and community sites, you can download these directions to your mobile phone.
• choose your communication preferences either to stay with receiving a paper letter or go paperless and receive your communications by text message and through the Royal Berkshire Connect Portal.

You'll have access to:

• Blood results: some blood results will be available in your portal. There will be a slight delay between you having your blood taken and them appearing in your Portal, this is to allow your clinician time to review the results.
• Questionnaires: Some specialities will send you questionnaires or assessments for you to complete prior to your appointment. You will be able to fill these in your Royal Berkshire Connect Portal.
• Messages: your clinical team will be able to send you messages via the Royal Berkshire Connect portal.

Will I be able to view documents and letters in Royal Berkshire Connect?

Letters and documents that are routinely posted to you, as well as some documents that are printed and given to you during your hospital visit or appointment, will also be available to view in Royal Berkshire Connect. This includes outpatient clinic outcome letters, inpatient discharge summaries, and other patient correspondence.

Why do I sometimes see ‘pending’ against a document?

Documents and letters go through a checking process before being sent to you, this is why sometimes you may see a pending message whilst a document is being reviewed.

How do I access patient information leaflets and other support?

Information about your appointment may be included within your appointment letter or included as an additional document.
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How do I register?

To register, you will be sent a secure link via text message inviting you to access Royal Berkshire Connect on your Smartphone.

If you don’t own a smartphone you can access Royal Berkshire Connect on your computer or tablet.

To log in, you will use your email address or a user name (of your choice) and you will use both a password and your mobile phone to provide two-factor authentication. If you have the NHS App you will be able to use the login details you use for this.

You are invited to join Royal Berkshire Connect based on the mobile phone number associated with your Royal Berkshire Foundation Trust patient record, and if that mobile number is updated in the hospital medical record, that number will update in Royal Berkshire Connect as well.

Do I need any special software or devices to use Royal Berkshire Connect?

Once you have registered, all you need to access Royal Berkshire Connect is an internet connection and a suitable electronic device such as your home computer, tablet or smartphone.

You can access Royal Berkshire Connect using Google Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge and Firefox web browsers.

If you have trouble viewing Royal Berkshire Connect, you might need to get an updated version of your web browser. You will need a PDF reader to view some documents.

I have a mobile but it’s not a smartphone. Can I still register to Royal Berkshire Connect?

Yes, you can register via a computer or tablet. You will still need a phone to receive verification codes both when you first register, and each time you login.

We recommend you save the Royal Berkshire Connect webpage in your ‘favourites’ on your computer or tablet so that you can easily access it.

Can I ask a carer or family member to register on my behalf?

Unfortunately, delegated access is not possible at this time.

I share an email address with a family member, can we both register?

No, every patient portal user needs their own email address. If you share one with a family member, one of you will need to create a new email address if you both want to register.

I share a mobile number with a family member, can we both register?

Mobile numbers can be shared but you will need to be aware that you will receive text messages for both you and your family member on the same phone. This may mean you could accidentally click on their link, but their login details will be different.

We advise that you do not register the same mobile number twice to avoid confusion. Always make sure that the mobile number you register with belongs to you and not someone else.

What do I do if I need to reschedule my appointment?

For some appointments you can request to reschedule your appointment in the Royal Berkshire Connect Portal. This is an easy step by step process. Once the administration team receive your request they will notifiy if it has been possible or not to reschedule the appointment.

However for some appointments you will be unable to request via the Royal Berkshire Connect Portal, please refer to the contact information within your appointment letter, if this is not available, please contact the Royal Berkshire Foundation Trust department or service you are under.

Will I receive confirmation if I reschedule or cancel my appointment?

Yes. We will send a text message confirming that the appointment has been rescheduled for a different date or cancelled.

What happens if I reschedule or cancel my appointment and I have transport or/and interpreter booked?

If you are rescheduling or cancelling your appointment and it has been agreed that you are eligible for transport which has already been arranged or you have an interpreter booked, please please contact the Royal Berkshire Foundation Trust department or service you are under to notify them of the changes.

Do I need to confirm my attendance for my appointment?

When you view your appointment, you will see an option to Confirm Attendance. If you select this option this will feed through to your hospital patient record and will help our teams to know to expect you.

Even if you do not use this option, we will still be expecting you to attend. When you attend your appointment, you should follow the instructions within your letter to confirm your arrival.

If you need to cancel or change your appointment, please refer to your appointment letter for details on how to contact us to do this. See previous question for more information.

I have forgotten my email address and cannot log in, what should I do?

You can use your NHS number and date of birth. Select ‘Forgot email’ on the Royal Berkshire Connect login screen, then add your NHS number and date of birth.

If the details are correct, the system will give you further prompts to recover your email address. You will need access to the UK mobile number that is registered on your hospital record to complete this process.

Can I change the email I use to log in to Royal Berkshire Connect?

Yes, login to Royal Berkshire Connect, go to My Details, in the Your Login Details section select Change next to the current email address. Confirm your password and then enter your new email address.

Does changing my email address on Royal Berkshire Connect change the email stored on my Royal Berkshire Foundation Trust patient record?

Yes. If we plan to contact you by email we will do this using the email registered in Royal Berkshire Connect.

Can I change my mobile phone number via Royal Berkshire Connect?

No, unfortunately you cannot do this currently. If you need to update the mobile phone number, please refer to the contact information within your appointment letter. If this is not available, please contact the Royal Berkshire Foundation Trust department or service you are under.

What should I do if I spot information in Royal Berkshire Connect that is not correct, or not related to my care and treatment?

If you believe the error relates to something clinically important, please contact the contact the department or service delivering your care. Contact information can also be found on letters we have sent to you.
In the unlikely event that information has been uploaded to your record in error, please inform us of this error immediately, using the contact details on the letter.

Royal Berkshire Connect does not hold your address details; however your address will appear on any letters that you receive, these will show the address that we had for you at the date the letter was generated. If you need to amend your address, or notice a discrepancy with an address, please refer to the contact details on the letter.

If the error is not urgent, please raise this next time you are visiting the hospital so that it can be corrected.

Is my information secure?

Yes, Royal Berkshire Connect uses the same technology that other websites use to gather sensitive information. The website security padlock symbol in the address bar tells you that information between your web browser and the server is encrypted so that other people (like hackers sitting in between your browser and the web server) cannot access or intercept what information is being sent back and forth.
Will the hospital use my email address for anything else?

We take the security of your personal information very seriously and there are strict rules about how we use your data. We will register your email address on our main hospital system, if it is not already registered, and will use it to contact you regarding your Royal Berkshire Connect account.

This contact information will be used to communicate with you regarding your health. By providing your email address, you are giving us permission to interact with you for other health related reasons, such as sending email notifications when you have messages from your clinical teams, or for receiving health assessment questionnaires.

We cannot take responsibility for how your email account is accessed and who else may be able to access or intercept it.

How accessible is Royal Berkshire Connect?

It is important to us that Royal Berkshire Connect meets your needs. Royal Berkshire Connect is a ‘web-based’ app, which means that you will be able to access it using your internet browser (for example Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome) from any suitable device, for example a smartphone, tablet or PC.

You will be able to use built-in features on your internet browsers or device, such as the 'pinch and zoom' function to increase text size, screen readers and colour contrast.

What happens if I choose to go paperless?

If you choose the option to go paperless when you join Royal Berkshire Connect, you can change your preferences at any time. Go to the homepage and click My Details. Scroll down to the section called Your letter delivery to see if you are currently registered for paper-free, or traditional post. To update your preference, click on the Change button.

Even if you choose to opt out of paper communications, we will still send you some letters by post, depending on your hospital department.