Guidelines for using e-mail in health and social care

The Professional Record Standards Body (PRSB) has produced guidelines for appropriate use of email in a project for the HSCIC (Health & Social Care Information Centre).  The aim is to support increased use of email in health and social care in England.

The PRSB reviewed the published literature on email use to:

a) determine the extent to which the new secure email standard ISB 1596 covers security issues and

b) understand the concerns of patients and professionals about using email.

From the evidence of the literature review and steering group input, questionnaires were developed for patients and professionals.  Over 2,400 professionals and 340 patients completed the questionnaire.

From the literature and survey evidence, guidelines have been prepared to inform patients and care professionals about appropriate use of email. These guidelines have been reviewed by key stakeholders and we are now writing to professional and patient organisations for comments and endorsement.

Background

It has been estimated that the NHS in England could save as much as £100 million per annum were email used for direct inter-person communications in the place of posted letters and fax.  In many parts of the NHS, Social Services and amongst the general public, there is underlying concern and distrust of electronic communications on the grounds of data security and privacy.

The Standardisation Committee for Care Information (SCCI – previously the Information Standards Board) has approved Standard ISB 1596 Secure Email Specification.  This standard defines the minimum non-functional requirements for a secure email service, covering the storage and transmission of email. This is the basic level for the storage and transmission of patient identifiable data by an email system. It includes:

The information security of the email service.

Transfer of sensitive information over insecure email.

Access from the Internet or mobile devices.

Exchange of information outside the boundaries of the secure standard.

There are a number of issues that need to be addressed if email services meeting this specification are to be trusted and used by care providers, patients and the general public:

Identifying and addressing specific concerns of care professionals

Medico-legal record keeping requirements (is an email the same as a signed record)

The relationship with the ‘duty to share’ and consent.

The Professional Record Standards Body (PRSB – www.theprsb.org ) is a Community Interest Company (Company No. 8540834).  Its role is to carry out activities that ensure that the requirements of those who provide and receive care can be fully expressed in the structure and content of health and social care records.  Its membership covers patient organisations and care professional bodies covering clinical disciplines and social care, including representation from the four UK nations which extends the breadth of expertise from which it can draw.  It is therefore in a unique position of having the credibility to deliver care professional leadership in care record standards and to be the single point of contact for the care professions on record matters. 

The PRSB undertook this project for the HSCIC, to develop guidelines for using email in health and social care.  It aims to gain the express support of patient organisations and professional bodies for adoption of email systems meeting the ISB standard ISB 1596 as the standard method of inter-person communication in the place of posted letters and fax.