NHS Trust
Background
Mail plays a crucial role in Croydon Health Services’ communication with patients. Since 2016, the Trust has worked closely with CFH Docmail, using their hybrid mail service to send essential communications, including appointment letters, clinical outcomes, and new patient follow-ups.
Until 2024, the Trust relied on 1st and 2nd class postal services, with the choice based on the urgency of each communication:
- First-class mail was used for time-sensitive documents needing delivery within seven days.
- Second-class mail was for less urgent communications with a delivery window beyond one week.
This approach has helped the Trust balance cost efficiency while ensuring timely, effective communication with patients.
In 2021 Royal Mail introduced Economy Access Mail, a new lower priced service that defers the delivery of non-time critical letters by up to three days. Added to the existing First and Second Class services, it gives mailers further choice in speed and pricing, enabling customers to better optimise their mail budgets.
“We saw Economy Access Mail as a great opportunity to enhance the service we offer our clients. It required adjustments on our side, including changes to internal processes and algorithms, along with thorough testing. We also worked closely with Royal Mail, who shared key insights and Quality of Service data that gave us the confidence to recommend it to our clients.”
Jason Lusty, Senior Business Development Manager, CFH Docmail
Solution
In January 2024, CFH Docmail expanded its partnership with Croydon Health Services by introducing Royal Mail’s Economy Access Mail, further enhancing their service offering. The printer had successfully used this service with local councils for the critical delivery of annual council tax bills - a high-stakes mailing that demands precise timing - delivering substantial cost savings without impacting delivery. Seeing the cost-saving potential of Economy Access Mail, the Trust was keen to put it into action. With Economy Access Mail’s proven track record in delivering high priority, less time sensitive mail for other organisations and backed by supporting evidence from Royal Mail, they moved forward confidently.
“The key driver for Economy Mail was really cost and the potential savings we could make without compromising patient quality. We have programmes looking at cost savings and productivity, so this seemed like an ‘easy win .”
Source: Anita Allen, Improvement Manager, Croydon Health Services NHS Trust
Once the mail team at Croydon Health Services secured full support from senior executives, the transition of some less urgent Second Class mail to Economy Access Mail was seamless. CFH Docmail handled all the required logic and programming, ensuring flawless integration of Economy Access Mail as a third mail service option, without any disruption. The switch required no additional IT infrastructure or staff resources, making it completely hassle-free and cost-effective, with the Trust incurring no additional costs throughout the process.
“There wasn’t any work for us on Croydon’s side, it was just agreeing the logic to be applied and to test and go ahead. It was just like flicking a switch. There were no upfront costs and no changes to the IT systems at our end. Compared to some previous projects I have worked on, it was a straightforward process. Most of the implementation went on CFH’s side to get the algorithm right.”
Source: Anita Allen, Improvement Manager, Croydon Health Services NHS Trust
Croydon Health Services now uses Economy Access Mail for non-urgent, routine communications, with 18% of the Trust's mail sent using this service since its adoption in January 2024.
For appointment letters, CFH Docmail receives files daily from the Trust and applies logic upon receipt to determine the appropriate postal method. The programme identifies the appointment date and sorts the letters based on the following criteria:
- Appointments within 3-10 days: First Class Mail
- Appointments within 10-15 days: Second Class Mail
- Appointments beyond 15 days: Economy Access Mail
Since adopting Economy Access, the Trust and CFH Docmail have been evaluating its impact based on two key measures: a reduction in mailing costs and by continuing to monitor feedback from patents and primary care in relation to correspondence.
Results
The rollout of Economy Access Mail for non-urgent correspondence at Croydon Health Services has been a success. While still in its early stages, the Trust is already seeing reductions in postal costs, with the potential for significant long-term savings. The postage cost of the Economy service is 18% cheaper than Access Standard Class and even cheaper compared to other Second Class services.
Crucially, the shift to Economy Access Mail has not compromised the Trust’s service quality. There has been no noticeable increase in contacts relating to correspondence.
“Economy Access Mail has been a good solution for us. We are happy with the way it was implemented as there was no additional work on our side and the impact so far has been positive. We are continuing to monitor the impact and are looking at ways of further maximising the benefits.”
Source: Anita Allen, Improvement Manager, Croydon Health Services NHS Trust
Through the implementation of Economy Access Mail, Croydon Health Services now enjoys a smarter, more efficient approach to mail services—maximising value without compromising reliability.
Source: Anita Allen, Improvement Manager, Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, Jason Lusty, Senior Business Development Manager, CFH Docmail
