Merge pull request #2361 from nhsuk/planning-and-writing-text-messages-and-emails

Add new page for text messages and emails

Author: colinrotherham

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -1,5 +1,11 @@
 # NHS digital service manual Changelog
 
+## 8.7.0 - 17 February 2026
+
+:new: **New features**
+
+- Add guidance on writing NHS messages to the content guide
+
 ## 8.6.1 - 26 January 2026
 
 :wrench: **Maintenance**

app/views/content/formatting.njk

@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@
 
       <li class="app-side-nav__item"><a class="app-side-nav__link" href="/content/inclusive-content">Inclusive content</a></li>
 
+      <li class="app-side-nav__item"><a class="app-side-nav__link" href="/content/writing-nhs-messages">Writing NHS messages</a></li>
+
       <li class="app-side-nav__item app-side-nav__item--current"><a class="app-side-nav__link" href="/content/formatting">Formatting</a>
         <ul class="app-side-nav__list app-side-nav__list--nested">
           <li class="app-side-nav__item"><a class="app-side-nav__link" href="#abbreviations-and-acronyms">Abbreviations and acronyms</a></li>

app/views/content/numbers-measurements-dates-time.njk

@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@
 
       <li class="app-side-nav__item"><a class="app-side-nav__link" href="/content/inclusive-content">Inclusive content</a></li>
 
+      <li class="app-side-nav__item"><a class="app-side-nav__link" href="/content/writing-nhs-messages">Writing NHS messages</a></li>
+
       <li class="app-side-nav__item"><a class="app-side-nav__link" href="/content/formatting">Formatting</a></li>
 
       <li class="app-side-nav__item"><a class="app-side-nav__link" href="/content/punctuation">Punctuation</a></li>

app/views/content/punctuation.njk

@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@
 
       <li class="app-side-nav__item"><a class="app-side-nav__link" href="/content/inclusive-content">Inclusive content</a></li>
 
+      <li class="app-side-nav__item"><a class="app-side-nav__link" href="/content/writing-nhs-messages">Writing NHS messages</a></li>
+
       <li class="app-side-nav__item"><a class="app-side-nav__link" href="/content/formatting">Formatting</a>
 
             <li class="app-side-nav__item app-side-nav__item--current"><a class="app-side-nav__link" href="/content/punctuation">Punctuation</a>

app/views/content/writing-nhs-messages.njk

@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@
   { title: "Health literacy", url: "/content/health-literacy" },
   { title: "A to Z of NHS health writing", url: "/content/a-to-z-of-nhs-health-writing" },
   { title: "Inclusive content", url: "/content/inclusive-content" },
+  { title: "Writing NHS messages", url: "/content/writing-nhs-messages" },
   { title: "Formatting", url: "/content/formatting" },
   { title: "Punctuation", url: "/content/punctuation" },
   { title: "Numbers, measurements, dates and time", url: "/content/numbers-measurements-dates-time" },

app/views/includes/_side-nav.njk

@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
             href: "/whats-new",
             classes: "app-card--transparent nhsuk-u-margin-0"
           }) %}
-            <p class="nhsuk-card__description">We've added a <a href="/design-system/components/file-upload">file upload component</a>, an <a href="/design-system/patterns/interruption-page">interruption page</a>, and updated the <a href="/standards-and-technology/service-standard">NHS service standard</a>, especially points 16 and 17.</p>
+            <p class="nhsuk-card__description">We've added guidance on <a href="/content/writing-nhs-messages">writing NHS messages</a> to the content guide.</p>
           {% endcall %}
         </div>
       </div>

app/views/index.njk

@@ -162,6 +162,7 @@
             <li><a href="/content/inclusive-content/skin-symptoms">Skin symptoms</a></li>
           </ul>
         </li>
+        <li><a href="/content/writing-nhs-messages">Writing NHS messages</a></li>
         <li><a href="/content/formatting">Formatting</a></li>
         <li><a href="/content/punctuation">Punctuation</a></li>
         <li><a href="/content/numbers-measurements-dates-time">Numbers, measurements, dates and time</a></li>

app/views/site-map.njk

@@ -427,6 +427,9 @@
   <url>
     <loc>https://service-manual.nhs.uk/content/inclusive-content/skin-symptoms</loc>
   </url>
+  <url>
+    <loc>https://service-manual.nhs.uk/content/writing-nhs-messages</loc>
+  </url>
   <url>
     <loc>https://service-manual.nhs.uk/content/formatting</loc>
   </url>

app/views/sitemap.xml

@@ -9,35 +9,14 @@
 
   <h2>Latest updates</h2>
 
-  <h3>January 2026</h3>
+   <h3>February 2026</h3>
 
   {% set contentHtml %}
-    <p>Added new entries for <a href="/content/a-to-z-of-nhs-health-writing#addresses">addresses</a> and <a href="/content/a-to-z-of-nhs-health-writing#wi-fi">Wi-Fi</a> to A to Z in content guide</p>
-    <p>Updated entries for <a href="/content/a-to-z-of-nhs-health-writing#seizure-fit">seizure (fit)</a> and <a href="/content/a-to-z-of-nhs-health-writing#temperature">temperature</a> in A to Z</p>
-    <p>Specified that we use en dashes in our guidance on <a href="/content/punctuation#hyphens-and-dashes">hyphens and dashes</a></p>
-    <p>Added "third party" to guidance on <a href="/content/numbers-measurements-dates-time#numbers">numbers</a> (section on ordinal numbers)</p>
-  {% endset %}
-
-  {% set designHtml %}
-    <p>Added <a href="/design-system/components/file-upload">file upload component</a></p>
-    <p>Added <a href="/design-system/patterns/interruption-page">interruption page pattern</a> and added <a href="/design-system/components/panel#interruption-panel">interruption panel on panel component page</a></p>
-    <p>Added <a href="/design-system/components/summary-list#summary-cards">summary cards to summary list component</a></p>
-  {% endset %}
-
-  {% set standardHtml %}
-    <p>Updated <a href="/standards-and-technology/service-standard">NHS service standard</a>, including:</p>
-    <ul>
-      <li>amending the page summary for service standard 3 to align with GOV's</li>
-      <li>updating and adding links in service standards 5 and 11</li>
-      <li>bringing service standard 13 into closer alignment with GOV's</li>
-      <li>updating service standard 16 with clinical colleagues</li>
-      <li>reviewing service standard 17 with interoperability standards team</li>
-      <li>updating outdated references to NHS Digital and fixing broken links</li>
-    </ul>
+    <p>Added guidance on <a href="/content/writing-nhs-messages">writing NHS messages</a> to the content guide</p>
   {% endset %}
 
   {{ table({
-    caption: "Updates to the service manual in January 2026",
+    caption: "Updates to the service manual in February 2026",
     captionClasses: "nhsuk-u-visually-hidden",
     head: [
       {
@@ -56,22 +35,6 @@
         {
           html: contentHtml
         }
-      ],
-      [
-        {
-          text: "Design system"
-        },
-        {
-          html: designHtml
-        }
-      ],
-      [
-        {
-          text: "Standards and technology"
-        },
-        {
-          html: standardHtml
-        }
       ]
     ]
   }) }}