Writing a message

Upload a letter

Upload a Microsoft Word version of your letter and we’ll print and post it for you.

Information:

You do not need to convert your letter template files to PDF. You can upload your file in Microsoft Word format.

  1. Download a blank Word letter template.
  2. Add your letter content to the blank template.
  3. Format your letter template.
  4. Add any personalisation fields by using single curly brackets with d. at the start. Find out more about personalisation.
  5. Name your letter template.
  6. Upload your final letter template by submitting a Service Now request (opens in a new tab). You can include multiple letter templates.
  7. We’ll send you digital proofs so you can approve your messages.

Your letter template must meet our letter specification. The page size and layout is A4 portrait (210mm x 297mm).

How to raise a Service Now request for letter templates

Follow these steps to ensure your request reaches the NHS Notify team:

  1. Go to Service Now (opens in a new tab).
  2. Sign in with your NHS.net account, or register for a Portal account.
  3. Select the Submit a case tile. In the Categories menu, select Contact us. Then select the Contact us tile.
  4. In the Description field, include the same information as the name of your letter template.
  5. For the service, select NHS Notify from the drop-down list.
  6. For the service offering, select NHS Notify - letter from the drop-down list.
  7. Attach your Word letter templates directly to the request.

Download a blank Word letter template

Download the relevant blank letter template to set up your letter:

You’ll need the desktop Microsoft Word app.

Save the template then add your message content.

Formatting your letter template

Do not change the page margins in the letter template. It has the correct layout for printing.

Organise your letter content using the styles in the template.

If you’re copying and pasting text from another document, paste it without any formatting. Then apply the styles in the template.

You can also use Microsoft Word’s format painter to copy the formatting of the styles and apply it to your text.

Information:

Keep the comments and pre-formatted text in the template until you’ve finished adding your message content. They’ll help you to apply the styles.

Find out how to use:

You can also find out about content you should not edit, including the:

Font and font size

The font size for standard letters is 12 points. The font size for large print is 16 points.

NHS Notify prints letters in the font Noto Sans.

Downloading your font

You must download and use Noto Sans as the font for all of your letters, including letters in other languages. If you’re sending letters in other languages that use different character sets, download Noto Sans in those languages.

Go to Noto Sans on Google Fonts (opens in a new tab) and choose the languages you need by selecting ‘Get font’. Then select ‘Download all’ to download Noto Sans to your device as a zip file.

Noto Sans is a free font.

Downloading Noto Sans for Windows
  1. Right click the zip file and select ‘Extract all’.
  2. Open the file. Open each folder. Select all of the TrueType font files, right click and select ‘Install’.
  3. If the folder contains a sub-folder called ‘static’, open this.
  4. Select all of the TrueType font files in this folder. Right click and select ‘Install’.
Downloading Noto Sans for Mac

Follow the install fonts guidance (opens in a new tab). Make sure you install the static fonts.

Read Google’s guidance on installing fonts (opens in a new tab) for more information.

Personalisation

Learn how to use personalisation.

Headings

Use the style ‘Heading 2, NHS letter heading’ in the template for headings.

Headings are in bold. They are not in italics or underlined.

Use the main heading to summarise what your letter is about.

Use headings to break your content up and to help recipients find what they need.

Paragraphs and body text

Use the style ‘Normal’ in the template for body text.

Paragraphs can be split across 2 pages.

If you do not want a paragraph to run over different pages, add a page break before the paragraph.

Use the style ‘Hyperlink’ in the template for links.

Links in letters are in bold to make them stand out. Do not use underlined text or italics.

Do not split links across different pages. Add a page break before the paragraph with the link if needed.

Learn more about links and URLs.

Bullet points

Use the style ‘List paragraph’ in the template for bullet points.

You can use bullet points to make your text easier to read. Make sure that:

  • you use a lead-in line
  • the bullets make sense running on from the lead-in line
  • you use lower case at the start of the bullet
  • there are no commas, full stops or semicolons at the end of bullets

Images

Images must be black and white. Position them within the same page margins as the text.

QR codes

If you want to include a QR code, put it in the body of your letter. Insert it as an image.

You’ll need to generate the QR code yourself.

You must also provide a short URL or written instructions for how to find your webpage. For example:

Information:

scan the QR code or visit https://www.notify.nhs.uk

Content you should not edit

Address field

The address field fits inside the address window on the envelope.

The address is a personalisation field and is set automatically.

The recipient’s name is always included as the first line of the address.

If your letter is about a child, use the parent or guardian letter template. This template includes ‘Parent or guardian of’ in the first line of the address.

The NHS logo is black and white. It’s positioned in the top right of the letter.

NHS number

The recipient’s NHS number appears above the body content of the letter and is right aligned.

It’s a personalisation field and is set automatically.

Date

The date that will be printed is the date when the letter is dispatched. It’s set automatically.

It appears above the body content of the letter and is right aligned.

Page count

The page count shows the current page number and the total number of pages. For example:

Information:

Page 1 of 2

It updates automatically.

Naming your letter template

Name your letter template clearly so that it’s easy to identify. Make sure you include the following details:

  • organisation or service name
  • cohort or topic of your message
  • language used, including English
  • accessible format or standard format used
  • message channel - letter
  • version number

For example:

Information:

vaccinations_under-16_english_standard_letter_v1