Log anonymisation is the removal of personal detail from the record of reminder texts a clinic sends. An appointment reminder is a service message, so regulation 22 of PECR, which covers unsolicited direct marketing by electronic mail, does not normally bite. Add a promotion to the same text and it can. The message body itself carries a separate risk under the common-law duty of confidence, because a clinic name on a shared handset can disclose a condition. anonym.plus swaps the identifiers on your device.
When this applies
A reminder system stores each text with the recipient's number, first name, and slot. Delivery and response-rate work needs the status columns, not the person. Both the number column and the greeting inside the body have to be cleaned, or the name survives the run.
How anonym.plus handles it
- Open the send history in anonym.plus on your device.
- It finds phone numbers, names, dates, and slot identifiers.
- Delivery status and timing columns stay in place.
- Swap the personal fields, or black them out.
- Save the clean history on your device.
What you need to provide
- The history (CSV, JSON, or a text dump).
- An operator: Replace keeps the rows readable.
- Optional column map for number and name fields.
Patient data entity types detected
| Category | anonym.plus entity type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Contact | PHONE_NUMBER | +44 7700 900 166 → [PHONE] |
| Names | PERSON | recipient name → [PATIENT] |
| Dates | DATE_TIME | sent 07:00 04 Jun → [TIME] |
| Free text | PERSON | “Hi Sam, your appointment…” → [NAME] |
| Identifiers | ID | booking ref → [REF] |
| Location | LOCATION | clinic name → [CLINIC] |
Compliance achieved
- Meets the DPA 2018 and the NHS Confidentiality Code of Practice expectation for reuse of send histories.
- Reflects that a service reminder is not direct marketing under regulation 22 of PECR, while a bolted-on promotion would be.
- Addresses the common-law duty of confidence risk of a clinic name arriving on a shared handset.
- Supports data minimisation under UK GDPR Art. 5(1)(c) for delivery analysis.
- Catches names inside the message body, not just the number column.
- Offline work keeps the send history on-site.
Anonymise SMS reminder logs offline — see plans & start free →
Limitations & cautions
The body usually greets the patient by first name, so the text and the number column both need a pass. A short body gives the tool few cues. Review the flags before you export the history.
Frequently asked questions
Do appointment reminders count as marketing under PECR?
Normally no. Regulation 22 of PECR restricts unsolicited direct marketing sent by electronic mail, and SMS counts as electronic mail. A reminder about a booked appointment is a service message about care already arranged. Bolt a promotion onto the same text and the marketing rules can apply to it.
Is the phone number enough to remove on its own?
No. The number is a direct identifier and must go, but the body usually names the patient too, and often names the clinic. Both are cleaned, because a specialist clinic name can reveal a condition by itself.
Do delivery statistics survive?
Yes. Status and timing columns stay untouched, so response-rate and failure analysis runs exactly as before while the personal fields are gone.