Bulletin 26.05.2015
As of 31 May Primary Care Support (PCS) Services (NHS England) will no longer redirect confidential patient information sent to GP practices with whom the patients are not registered. Currently, some practices forward this information to PCS who then redirect to the patient’s correct GP practice. PCS were informed that this current practice does not comply with NHS England information governance or current legislation, and the correct procedure for a GP should be to mark the envelope ‘return to sender’ and the information sent back (in bulk/ batches if necessary) to the provider who sent it initially. You can use this template, which can be adapted by your practice, to assist you in implementing this procedure after 31st May 2015. The PCS Services will also be notifying regional Caldicott Guardians of this decision so that they can advise local acute providers of this change and allow them to prepare accordingly.
PGDs and PSDs, GPC Guidance
The GPC’s guidance on Patient Group Directions (PGD) and Patient Specific Directions (PSD) in General Practice has been updated following regulatory and organisational changes within the NHS, and new NICE Guidelines.