Royal Mail has been working with NHS England, NHS Providers, Healthwatch England, National Voices and the Patients Association to ensure that any changes resulting from USO reform do not lead to worse outcomes or experiences for patients, and that the needs of the public and NHS organisations are met. This includes the development of a specific barcode solution for NHS mail which we have previously written to Access customers about, and which I am pleased to announce will launch on the Variation Date, as defined in Access Letters Contract Change Notice 114.  

The solution design provides an option for NHS providers to add a unique NHS identifier into the Mailmark barcode. Where our internal reporting shows that we are not meeting expected quality of service standards regularly, at either a local or a national level, the new NHS barcode will allow us to identify NHS mail and automate its extraction from Royal Mail sorting machines. Thereafter we will discretely handle the mail through to delivery. This will ensure NHS providers get the service they require, and patients receive their letters in a timely manner.

Customers choosing to use the NHS class identifier will need to add it to the class field in the Mailmark barcode and eManifest. This is not a new or separate service. Instead, the NHS barcode would be eligible to be printed on NHS letters using Access Priority (D+2) or Standard (D+3) Mailmark Business Mail services. The option is suitable for patient communications including appointment letters and test results.

If you post mail on behalf of the NHS, and want to use the new NHS class identifier, you will need to register your Supply Chain IDs with DSACC. Access Letters User Guide amendment notice number 081 gives effect to the contract amendments on the Variation Date, as defined in Access Letters Contract Change Notice 114, including details of the registration process and the technical requirements.

You will be able to submit an application to register using the registration form, which can be found here, from 12 May 2025.

Additionally, we have updated the Barcode Definition document and eMHS Guidelines which sets out the technical requirements for the NHS barcode solution. Both documents can be found at www.royalmailwholesale.com/royal-mail-mailmark.  We have also updated the Mailmark Direct Data technical specification which you can find at www.royalmailwholesale.com/royal-mail-mailmark-direct-data.

Should you have any questions please contact your Account Director.