When a patient says they do not need a recall

A recall used to chase a patient until its window shut, whether or not the reminder still applied to them. An unanswerable reminder is one of the main reasons a practice turns recalls off.

Patients who open a recall link now see a quiet I don't need this option under their tasks. It is deliberately understated -- the point is that it exists, not that it competes with the thing you asked them to do.

The three answers, and what each one does

The patient chooses	What happens
I've already had this	The recall closes and a conversation opens in your inbox so somebody can find out what was done and record it
Ask me again later	The recall closes for now, with a date about three months out
Don't ask me about this again	The recall closes and no further reminders are sent

All three are recorded as Declined. The reason says which one they chose, so you are never guessing.

Where you will see it

• The recalls list shows the status as Declined.
• Opening the recall shows the reason, in the patient's own words if they added a note -- for example "Had it at the pharmacy on 20 September".
• The patient's record shows it in their care history, under the Clinical filter, because a recall is part of their care rather than an administrative note.
• Change history on the recall records the answer as coming from the patient, from their recall link, so it is clear this was their decision and not a member of staff's.
• Your inbox opens a conversation when they say they have already had it, carrying their answer and any note, assigned to whoever handles that recall.

The one that needs you to do something

"I've already had this" opens a conversation in your inbox. That is the only answer that does.

The patient is telling you something happened somewhere else -- an NHS GP gave the flu jab, a pharmacy did the blood pressure check. Until somebody confirms it and records it, their notes are wrong, and the recall is no longer chasing them.

The conversation carries what they told you, including any note they left, and it goes to whoever the recall is set to be handled by, so it lands with that person or team rather than in a general pile. It is worth picking up promptly: the recall has closed, so nothing else will bring it back to your attention.

Turning it off for a recall

The option is on by default. It can be switched off per recall rule if a particular recall genuinely should not be declinable -- the patient then simply does not see it, rather than seeing it and being refused.

Note: declining a recall does not stop the patient being contacted about anything else. It applies to that recall only.