Somerset LMC Weekly Update Friday 8th March 2019
Date sent: Friday 8 March 2019
Sent to all Somerset GPs and Practice Managers This and previous updates are available here
- Updated Guidance on sending confidential information from NHS.net email addresses
- SNOMED Emis Checklist
- Information Note for GP Practices: Mis-selling of Fixed Rate Loans & Interest Rate Swaps
- Registering a birth or replacing a certificate scam
- ICO Blog on SARs and Access to records
- Electronic Death Reporting Form (Again)
- GPC Contract Roadshow 13th March
Updated Guidance on sending confidential information from NHS.net email addresses: You may recall that in November 2018 the Coroner introduced the requirement for electronic reporting of deaths from GP practices to a central Coroner’s Officers email address. At the time guidance was provided to practices to use the NHS Mail encryption facility to send confidential information to the designated address as a safeguard until full assurance on the security of the recipient email domain was received.
Following updated guidance from NHS Digital available at the following link, local guidance can now be updated. A published list of email addresses which meet the same accreditation and security standards as NHS Mail are those ending:
- Nhs.net
- Secure.nhs.uk
- Gov.uk
- Cjsm.net
- Pnn.police.uk
- Mod.uk
- Parliament.uk
As an example, in the case of the reporting of deaths to the Coroner and sending information to individual Coroner’s Officers, as long as the email address includes pnn.police.uk it is now secure to send without using the NHS Mail encryption facility. Where there is a need to send confidential information to an email address which does not have these specific endings, the NHS Mail encryption facility should continue to be used.
As previous advised, there are some local organisations which have been accredited as meeting the same accreditation and security standards, currently Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust (@tst.nhs.uk) and Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (@ydh.nhs.uk). Somerset Partnership are working through the accreditation process and a further update will be provided as this is achieved.
The CCG GP and LMC website tables of secure emails will be updated to reflect this change in guidance which takes immediate effect.
SNOMED Emis Checklist: NHS Digital has advised that EMIS have provided a SNOMED CT practice checklist to assist GP practices with the transition of EMIS Web to SNOMED CT.
Please see the one-page checklist for details, which includes important links to their SNOMED CT online training resources.
In summary, this document provides information on what practices should do in preparation for receiving full SNOMED CT functionality in EMIS Web 9.1 and suggested actions and tips regarding resources such as templates and searches.
GP practices are advised to act on this essential information and come to a local decision with regards to which, if any, templates and searches may require the necessary pre-migration work.
Information Note for GP Practices: Mis-selling of Fixed Rate Loans & Interest Rate Swaps: Following a number of enquiries, the GPDF commissioned an Information Note from its legal advisers. You can find a copy of that note here. GDPF would like to make it clear that other legal advisers are available, and that appropriate professional advice is taken.
Registering a birth or replacing a certificate scam: Searching online brings up one of those "appointment booking services" which charges a fee for simply using the information provided to book an appointment on the Registrar's own website which the public can do for free. Death Certificates have not yet been cited but this cannot be long delayed. If reception staff could advise relatives to book a Registrar's appointment via the Somerset County website (which also provides the booking telephone number for all Somerset, 01823 282251) at the time of (or even before) collecting a death certificate it would be useful to also remind them that there is no fee payable for this statutory service.
ICO Blog on SARs and Access to records: Practices will be interested to read this latest blog from the ICO “Why the right of access to patient data needn’t be a headache for GPs”.
Electronic Death Reporting Form (Again): The County Registrar has noticed an increase in deaths being registered outside the five CALENDAR days required by the Births & Deaths Registration Act 1953. This seems to have coincided with the introduction of the Coroner’s EDRF but it is too early to know if this is cause and effect. The LMC knows of colleagues who have experienced new delays in gaining email permission to issue a Death Certificate with a Coroner’s Part A while others say the EDRF is an improvement on the old phone and fax method. We also have had reports of incomplete EDRF being batted back by Coroner’s Officers obviously adding delay. The Medical Director (who takes a special interest in these things) would like to hear your experiences, good, bad, or indifferent, of using the EDRF. These will inform discussions with the Registrar and perhaps the Coroner? Please email b.moyse@nhs.net.
If you cannot issue a certificate recall that is covered by the relevant section requiring a “Yes/No” answer. There is no need to try to phone the CO.
PS The Registrar has asked that we make sure relatives are always told when the Coroner has been involved in issuing a Death Certificate: otherwise it can come as a shock for them at the Registry Office. Overall a surprising 1:3 of all deaths in Somerset are reported to the Coroner one way or another as 25% of death occur in hospital and perhaps due to the way primary care is configured nowadays both OOH and with more skill mix in hours. Readers will be interested to hear that the BMA is in talks with the Chief Coroner to redefine what “attended in last illness” means.
GPC Contract Roadshow 13th March: further places are now available to book for this evening in Taunton to hear about the latest GP contract from one of the GPC negotiating team and Deputy GPC Chairman Dr Mark Sanford Wood. Please ensure to book online.
Kind Regards
Jill
Jill Hellens
Executive Director
Somerset LMC
Crown Medical Centre, Venture Way, Taunton, TA2 8QY
Tel: (01823) 331 428
Fax: (01823) 338 561
www.somersetlmc.co.uk
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