This article covers:
How does patient verification work?
When using eConsult via the practice website they are given two options:
The guest pathway
NHS login
Guest pathway
The patient submits an eConsult report to the surgery with no verification of patient details confirmed.
Patients will be asked to populate their demographic details during the consultation
When this report is received by the practice, the absence of the NHS number on the report indicates that the guest pathway has been used
At this point, the patient is not considered to have been verified and verification will need to be completed by the practice prior to any clinical and/or patient sensitive information being shared with the patient.
Patient verification should be completed prior to any clinical and/or patient sensitive information being shared with the patient. This is true whether the modality of contact subsequent to an eConsult is a post-consult message, telephone or face-to-face.
NHS Login
If a patient has downloaded the NHS App and registered for use of NHS Login, they are able to use these credentials to access eConsult via the practice website.
Using NHS Login, practices can be assured that the patient has been identified and verified as part of the two-step NHS Login verification process. A patient using their NHS Login details will see all of their applicable demographic details completed as part of their eConsult report submission.
Applies to NHS England only. Find out more about NHS Login on the NHS.uk website.
When using the NHS App, the use of NHS Login is a mandated pathway, and Practices can be assured that the patient has been identified and verified as part of the two-step NHS Login verification process.
Practices can confirm the patients use of NHS Login by looking for the presence of the NHS number on the eConsult report
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