First reported 1 May 2014•Latest report 23 Sep 2025
Definition
What this concern includes
Includes GP-practice arrangements for receiving, routing, redirecting, logging and confirming receipt of clinically important correspondence, including post between co-located practices and faxed correspondence from clinicians or services.
Not included
Excludes failures to review, interpret or act on correspondence after it has been reliably received; those belong to a downstream correspondence-review concern.
Excludes outgoing clinical correspondence from healthcare services to GPs where the deficient process is preparation or dispatch rather than GP-practice receipt or routing.
Excludes generic postal, fax, IT or administrative failures without a direct clinical-correspondence safety consequence.
Excludes correspondence unrelated to patient care or clinical follow-up.
Reports
4
Distinct published reports
Individual concerns
4
A report can raise multiple concerns
Date range
2014–2025
First to latest report issue date
Stated actions
7
Described in published responses
Reports over time
Reports over time
Reports about this concern issued each year.
* 2026 is projected from reports observed to 7 Sep 2026.
Most frequent recipients
Most frequent recipients
Reports about this concern sent to each recipient.
NHS England2
Barts Health NHS Trust1
Bexley Medical Group1
Mundesley Medical Centre1
NHS Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board1
NHS North Norfolk Clinical Commissioning Group1
NHS Tower Hamlets Clinical Commissioning Group1
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust1
Tredegar Practice1
White Horse Medical Practice1
Healthcare site4
Clinical commissioning group2
Executive non-departmental public body2
NHS trust2
Integrated care board1
Concerns and responses across reports
Only concerns grouped under this recurring concern are included. Select any concern, action or position to view the source wording.
Wiltshire and Swindon
Concerns raised1
Failure of nhs.net email to reliably deliver important information to GP practices
This report raised 1 other concern. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.4
Action
Use DocMan instead of email for DWF Hub referral-outcome communication with GPs, except when the referrer explicitly requests email.
Stated by Oxford Health NHS Foundation TrustStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 29 September 2025.
Action
Evaluate the DWF Hub’s DocMan process and use Trust governance processes to decide whether to adopt it across the other Hub teams.
Stated by Oxford Health NHS Foundation TrustStated plannedThe respondent said that this action was planned when they made their response on 29 September 2025.
Action
Review AMHT communication practice, identify available changes and assess which options could strengthen controls against GPs missing important communications.
Stated by Oxford Health NHS Foundation TrustStated plannedThe respondent said that this action was planned when they made their response on 29 September 2025.
Action
Undertake Clinical Safety Cases, Hazard Logs and Data Protection Impact Assessments before national NHSmail deployment.
Stated by NHS EnglandStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 29 September 2025.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.3
Position
The Trust will not change AMHT communication practices until it understands available options, utility and potential consequences.
Stated by Oxford Health NHS Foundation TrustUnable to actThe respondent said that a constraint prevented them from taking the relevant action.
Position
The forensic search found that the mental health email was received by the GP practice and copied into the patient's clinical record.
Stated by NHS EnglandDisputes the concernThe respondent disagreed with part of the concern or the basis for it.
Position
NHSmail is considered reliable and resilient, with monitoring, recovery mechanisms, support arrangements and established clinical safety controls.
Stated by NHS EnglandExisting arrangements considered sufficientThe respondent said that existing arrangements were sufficient, so no further action was needed.
Inner South London
Concerns raised1
Ineffective redirection of post between co-located GP practices
This report raised 3 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statements
No respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
Inner North London
Concerns raised1
Lack of a system at the GP practice to ensure successful receipt of important correspondence
This report raised 3 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statements
No respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
Norfolk
Concerns raised1
Failure of GP practice guidelines to require referral of correspondence concerning a patient’s suicide risk or self-harming behaviour to a doctor or GP
This report raised 1 other concern. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.3
Action
Develop clear communication channels with NCH&C staff to alert the practice and summarise relevant concerns or actions.
Stated by Mundesley Medical CentreStated plannedThe respondent said that this action was planned when they made their response on 1 May 2014.
Action
Inform a GP when outside agencies make direct mental-health referrals, including relevant substance-misuse, safeguarding or domestic-violence concerns.
Stated by Mundesley Medical CentreStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 1 May 2014.
Action
Show correspondence about vulnerable people at risk of suicide or deliberate self-harm to a GP.
Stated by Mundesley Medical CentreStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 1 May 2014.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.2
Position
The neuropsychological report was not passed to a GP because it recorded historical self-harm and stated there was no current suicidal intent.
Stated by Mundesley Medical CentreDisputes the concernThe respondent disagreed with part of the concern or the basis for it.
Position
The referral letter was filed because it indicated no action for the practice and did not identify current suicide risk requiring GP review.
Stated by Mundesley Medical CentreNo action considered necessaryThe respondent said that no further action was needed.
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Includes GP-practice arrangements for receiving, routing, redirecting, logging and confirming receipt of clinically important correspondence, including post between co-located practices and faxed correspondence from clinicians or services.
