NHSDigital · emmagifford · Apr 14, 2026 · Apr 13, 2026 · Apr 13, 2026 · Apr 13, 2026
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 
 - heading: Plan how your messages will be sent
   description: |
-    Set up routing plans to decide how your messages will be sent to recipients.
+    Set up message plans to decide how your messages will be sent to recipients.
   image: 3-plan-your-messages.svg
   image_alt: ""
   number: 3

@@ -15,8 +15,8 @@ <h3 class="nhsnotify-list__item-header">
         {{ item.description | markdownify }}
         {% if item.number == 3 %}
         {% include components/action-link.html
-        url='/using-nhs-notify/routing-plans'
-        text='Learn more about routing plans'
+        url='/using-nhs-notify/message-plans'
+        text='Learn more about message plans'
         %}
         {% endif %}
       </div>

@@ -79,18 +79,18 @@ Once you’ve created a template you can:
 
 ### Plan how your messages will be sent
 
-Routing plans allow you to send messages to audiences more effectively and sometimes at lower costs.
+Message plans allow you to send messages to audiences more effectively and sometimes at lower costs.
 
-You can set up routing plans to:
+You can set up message plans to:
 
 - use certain templates for specific audiences
 - message a recipient with each channel in a specific order
 - set up fallbacks for messages that fail
 - stop sending messages after a channel is successful
 
 {% include components/action-link.html
-    url='/using-nhs-notify/routing-plans'
-    text='More about routing plans'
+    url='/using-nhs-notify/message-plans'
+    text='More about message plans'
 %}
 
 ### Prevent sending people unnecessary messages

@@ -28,13 +28,13 @@ You can [contact us]({% link pages/support/support.md %}) if you:
 - Enabled users to create and manage their own message templates
 - Enabled multiple users to access the same service account so teams can manage work at the same time
 - Let users provide alternative contact details in approved circumstances
-- Introduced more choice for routing plan fallback timings (1 to 72 hours), giving users more flexibility to match message urgency
+- Introduced more choice for message plan fallback timings (1 to 72 hours), giving users more flexibility to match message urgency
 
 ## What we're working on now
 
 - Improving the speed of onboarding new users and providing clearer updates
 - Increasing capacity and reliability of letter printing by adding new print suppliers
-- Allowing users to manage their own routing plans from a list of standard options
+- Allowing users to manage their own message plans from a list of standard options
 - Improving letter template editing and proofing capabilities within the web interface
 - Alpha testing how secondary care providers can send message content from letters as digital messages using the NHS App
 

@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ text='You’ll be asked if your organisation or service will:
 - use custom personalisation fields
 - have test data prepared for your custom personalisation fields
 
-The form will also ask for the routing plans that you want to use for your messages.
+The form will also ask for the message plans that you want to use for your messages.
 '
 %}
 

@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ text='You’ll be asked if your organisation or service will:
 - use custom personalisation fields
 - have test data prepared for your custom personalisation fields
 
-The form will also ask for the routing plans that you want to use for your messages.
+The form will also ask for the message plans that you want to use for your messages.
 '
 %}
 

@@ -49,9 +49,9 @@ Do this by:
 - speaking to our engagement team when you first [get started]({% link pages/get-started/get-started.md %}) with NHS Notify
 - raising a <a href="https://nhsdigitallive.service-now.com/csm" target="_blank">Service Now request (opens in a new tab)</a> if you're already using NHS Notify and have existing templates
 
-### 2. Create your templates and routing plans
+### 2. Create your templates and message plans
 
-Set up a routing plan that requests accessible formats.
+Set up a message plan that requests accessible formats.
 
 Create separate templates for each type of accessible format you’ll need. Select the ‘standard letter’ template type.
 

@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ You need to complete:
 
 We need specific evidence for your NHS App testing.
 
-To complete integration testing, you need to give us your final templates and routing plans.
+To complete integration testing, you need to give us your final templates and message plans.
 
 You can start testing earlier using:
 
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ You need to show you've connected to our INT environment by sending an API reque
 You'll know your connection is working when you can successfully run tests in the INT environment.
 
 {% include components/inset-text.html
-text='If you’re using free-text inputs and NHS Notify’s dedicated routing plans, you do not need to do any more steps for integration testing.
+text='If you’re using free-text inputs and NHS Notify’s dedicated message plans, you do not need to do any more steps for integration testing.
 
 Next, carry out [NHS App testing](#nhs-app-integration-testing) (if you’re sending NHS App messages) and [production smoke testing](#production-smoke-testing).'
 classes='nhsuk-u-margin-top-2'
@@ -70,18 +70,18 @@ classes='nhsuk-u-margin-top-2'
 
 You need to [approve final proofs of your messages]({% link pages/using-nhs-notify/approve-your-messages.md %}). This is to ensure that NHS Notify sends your messages exactly as you expect your recipients to get them.
 
-### 4. Wait for NHS Notify to set up your routing plans
+### 4. Wait for NHS Notify to set up your message plans
 
-NHS Notify will build your routing plans in the INT environment.
+NHS Notify will build your message plans in the INT environment.
 
-### 5. Check your templates and routing plans work as you expect
+### 5. Check your templates and message plans work as you expect
 
-You need to check that we've set up your templates and routing plans in line with your needs.
+You need to check that we've set up your templates and message plans in line with your needs.
 
 It's up to you to decide how to do this. We recommend making sure that:
 
-- the message channels in your routing plan are in the correct order
-- the correct templates are used in the correct routing plans, for example, one plan might be for invitations and one might be for reminders
+- the message channels in your message plan are in the correct order
+- the correct templates are used in the correct message plans, for example, one plan might be for invitations and one might be for reminders
 
 {% include components/details.html
 heading='If you need help getting test evidence'
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ Your test results should show certain results for each test patient account:
 
 - NHS App does not receive the message
 - Rejected callback goes to NHS Notify (if you've set up callbacks)
-- The next available message channel in the routing plan is triggered
+- The next available message channel in the message plan is triggered
 
 ## Production smoke testing
 
@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ We'll:
 
 ### During your smoke test call
 
-We'll share test data with you, including NHS numbers and routing plans.
+We'll share test data with you, including NHS numbers and message plans.
 
 You'll then use this data to send requests using either NHS Notify API or NHS Notify MESH.
 

@@ -3,39 +3,44 @@
 # To modify the layout, see https://jekyllrb.com/docs/themes/#overriding-theme-defaults
 
 layout: page
-title: Routing plans
+title: Message plans
 parent: Using NHS Notify
 nav_order: 4
-permalink: /using-nhs-notify/routing-plans
+permalink: /using-nhs-notify/message-plans
 section: Sending a message
 ---
 
-You'll need to create a routing plan to decide how messages will be sent to your recipients.
+Use message plans to tell us how to send messages to your recipients. You can choose which message channels to use and in what order.
 
-Setting up a routing plan can make your messages more effective and sometimes lower messaging costs.
+You'll soon be able to set up message plans yourself in your NHS Notify account. We'll no longer need to set these up for you.
 
-You can set up routing plans to:
+## Choosing your message order
 
-- [send messages in a cascade](#message-cascades)
-- use specific message templates for different groups of recipients
-- stop sending messages to a recipient when a channel is successful
+You can choose from a list of pre-defined message plans.
 
-## Routing plans and contact details from the Personal Demographics Service (PDS)
+For example: NHS App, email, text message, letter.
 
-NHS Notify checks for each recipient's contact details before we send any messages using a routing plan.
+How fallbacks work
+If we cannot deliver a message through your first choice, we automatically try the next channel in your message plan.
 
-This means that if we do not find a recipient's contact details for a message channel, we'll automatically skip that channel.
+A fallback happens if:
 
-We do not re-check for contact details each time there's a fallback in a routing plan.
+- the recipient does not have valid contact details for a channel
+- the message is not read or delivered within a certain amount of time
+- the message fails to send for a technical reason
 
-## Message cascades
+We'll stop sending messages once a chosen channel is successful.
 
-A message cascade allows you to message a recipient with different channels in the order you choose. You can set up primary and secondary message cascades in your routing plan.
+For example, you might try to send an NHS App message first. If the recipient reads the message within 24 hours, no further messages get sent. If the recipient does not read the first message within 24 hours, we'll then try to send an email.
 
-### Primary cascades
+## Linking your templates
 
-Use primary message cascades to send a message with a different channel as a fallback if a primary channel fails.
+You can choose specific templates for each channel in your message plan.
 
-### Secondary cascades
+## Contact details
 
-Use secondary message cascades to send a message with another channel at the same time as your primary channel. For example, sending a text message at the same time as an email. You cannot fall back to another channel with secondary cascades.
+We check the Personal Demographics Service (PDS) for each recipient's contact details before we start sending messages.
+
+If we do not have a contact detail for a specific channel, we'll skip that channel and move to the next one in your message plan.
+
+We only check for contact details once at the start. We do not re-check PDS each time there is a fallback.
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ You’ll receive a daily report of messages and channels that have completed tha
 
 To get an overall status of a message you've sent use the [message status](#message-status).
 
-To see the status of a specific channel in your routing plan, use the [channel and supplier status](#channel-and-supplier-status).
+To see the status of a specific channel in your message plan, use the [channel and supplier status](#channel-and-supplier-status).
 
 ## Message status
 
@@ -68,11 +68,11 @@ Messages and channels that have not reached a recipient will have a 'failed' sta
 
 ## Channel and supplier status
 
-You can find out what's happened to each channel in a routing plan with the channel and supplier status.
+You can find out what's happened to each channel in a message plan with the channel and supplier status.
 
 ### Channel status descriptions
 
-Channel statuses tell you at a high level what's happened to each channel in a routing plan. The channel status is also what's used to trigger fallbacks in your routing plans.
+Channel statuses tell you at a high level what's happened to each channel in a message plan. The channel status is also what's used to trigger fallbacks in your message plans.
 
 For example, a 'failed' channel status for an NHS App message could trigger a fallback that sends an email.
 
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ Each channel can have the following statuses:
 | Status    | Description                                  |
 | --------- | -------------------------------------------- |
 | created   | The channel has been created.                |
-| skipped   | The channel was skipped in the routing plan. |
+| skipped   | The channel was skipped in the message plan. |
 | sending   | The channel is currently being sent.         |
 | delivered | The channel has reached the recipient        |
 | failed    | The channel did not reach the recipient      |

@@ -75,6 +75,7 @@ Find out how to use:
 - [personalisation](#personalisation)
 - [headings](#headings)
 - [paragraphs and body text](#paragraphs-and-body-text)
+- [page breaks](#page-breaks)
 - [links and URLs](#links-and-urls)
 - [bullet points](#bullet-points)
 - [images](#images)
@@ -143,6 +144,10 @@ 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.
 
+## Page breaks
+
+Select 'Insert', 'Pages' then 'Page break' in Microsoft Word to add a page break.
+
 ## Links and URLs
 
 Use the style 'Hyperlink' in the template for links.

@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ This guidance is to help teams understand how to use NHS Notify.
 - [Tell recipients who your messages are from]({% link pages/using-nhs-notify/tell-recipients-who-your-messages-are-from.md %})
 - [Delivery times]({% link pages/using-nhs-notify/delivery-times.md %})
 - [Tell us who you want to message]({% link pages/using-nhs-notify/tell-us-who-you-want-to-message.md %})
-- [Routing plans]({% link pages/using-nhs-notify/message-plans.md %})
+- [Message plans]({% link pages/using-nhs-notify/message-plans.md %})
 - [Recipients you cannot message]({% link pages/using-nhs-notify/recipients-you-cannot-message.md %})
 - [Message, channel and supplier status]({% link pages/using-nhs-notify/message-status.md %})
 - [NHS App for messages: new NHS digital-first strategy]({% link pages/using-nhs-notify/nhs-digital-first-strategy.md %})