Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to encourage NHS Trusts in England and Wales to adopt the NHS barcode for correspondence sent through Royal Mail.
Answer
NHS England and Royal Mail have worked together to improve how NHS letters are sent to patients across the UK and ensure NHS providers have a choice of both price and speed when sending letters. The Royal Mail NHS barcode, introduced in April 2025, is designed to optimise the delivery of NHS letters during times of local and national disruption, but it is for individual NHS trusts to register for the barcode and decide on its usage. Further details can be found on the Royal Mail website at the following link: https://www.royalmailwholesale.com/news/nhs-mail-new-barcode-solution
Verdict: AMBER (27/100)
The reply gives background on the NHS barcode, which was introduced in April 2025 to help optimise delivery during disruption, and mentions general collaboration between NHS England and Royal Mail on letter choice. It does not name any concrete action the department is taking to encourage NHS trusts to adopt the barcode. Its main position is that individual trusts decide whether to register and use it, and the answer stays vague throughout, so the person who asked would likely need to submit a follow-up for specifics.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What the department is doing to encourage NHS Trusts in England and Wales to adopt the NHS barcode for correspondence sent through Royal Mail. | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply describes the NHS barcode (introduced April 2025, designed to optimise delivery during disruption) and a general NHS England/Royal Mail collaboration on letter choice, but it names no concrete action to encourage trusts to adopt it. Its one substantive position, that individual trusts decide whether to register and use it, effectively leaves adoption to trusts and does not explain what the department is doing to encourage uptake. |