Overview of Fallback Logic
Hero’s notification service attempts to deliver messages through the NHS App first. If the message is not received or seen by the patient within 1 hour, a fallback message is triggered to a secondary channel - email or SMS, depending on the configuration and availability of patient contact details.
How the Fallback Works
1. Primary Channel: NHS App
Hero sends the message to the NHS App.
After 1 hour, the system checks whether the patient has received and seen the notification (i.e. opened it on their phone).
If the notification has not been opened, a fallback is triggered.
2. Fallback Channels
If the NHS App message is not seen, Hero will fall back to either:
Email (default for most setups)
SMS, if preferred and configured
The fallback channel used depends on practice configuration preferences.