How to use email in General Practice

After Matt Hancock announced that email should be used over faxes and even post for communication with patients, some practices may be struggling to understand how to make these changes. This video post will highlight some of the areas to consider and tips on how to do this.

Set upWhat system will you use- currently approved are nhs.net and office365. Criteria for other providers can be found here. https://digital.nhs.uk/services/nhsmail/the-secure-email-standardIt is worth having a patient facing inbox/address and a practice-based one for different communication routes. Consider different ones for results/ prescribing etc. Suggest a generic email address for each to manage with a clear description as part of the email address ie prescriptionspracticeX@nhs.net or appointmentsSurgeryY@office365.com as examples. Consider who and how often you will monitor the inboxesEstablish as a practice how the additional time needed to run emails will be used, especially if clinically basedIf this is a system change, make this public. Use waiting room displays, footers on letters, social media platforms and patient participation groups (PPG) to advocate the use. Even consider a link on the prescription counterfoil. Test wording of standard letters to make sure the practice is happy, even agree with indemnity provider or PPG if appropriate.Email communication is part of the clinical record. Look at how this will be stored or transferred. If standard letters are used these may not need adding directly, but a clear system for recordings like templates or autoconsultations/macros should be used. Consider using mailing list providers to help make this process easier, however, discuss with your local IT department on governance of providers.

Sign upAbide by the data protection guidelines like GDPR, collecting information for what you need. Use either sign up sheet or confirmation via SMS/email with a link to your rules. A key tip is make this public ie on your website and use the link to share- easy via email, SMS or other. Make this the central governance hub for all your documents so you only have to update one place. I would recommend adding a box that the patient agrees to all disclaimers as per below. This should be repeated in the confirmation message. In this sheet/link be clear about how the practice will use the communication ie - sharing results, clinic letters, appointment information etc. If unsure or starting, try areas you are comfortable with and progress from there. Use a template or autoconsultation/ macro to make this process easier for staff to support patients. On sign up, instill a test email or SMS is sent at that time to confirm the identity and accuracy of the information given. In this test email or message include a link to whitelisting emails. This is where a user confirms this is an email they want to receive. Include this in the footer of your emails as well which will help to ensure the messages do not end up in the junk folder. The following is an excellent link which shows this information

https://www.whatcounts.com/resources/checklists/how-to-whitelist-emails/An additional option to help patients is to guide them to use folders to sort their emails from the practice.

Disclaimers:

Also, include a disclaimer about patients protecting their data once they have received it. A practice is not responsible for onwards use or transmission of email or text message once it has been received by the patient/service userInclude also that maintaining the integrity of the contact method ie correct number is the responsibility of the patient.Commercial email providers are not as secure as those systems used in the NHS so include a line about being awa