Shared NHSmail

NHSmail is a secure email service accredited to ‘Government OFFICIAL SENSITIVE’ status, approved by DH for sharing patient identifiable/sensitive information.

NHSmail is available for use by any organisation commissioned to deliver NHS healthcare or related activities.

More than half-a-million staff already use NHSmail on a daily basis in England and Scotland to help them deliver better patient care.

User numbers are growing at a rate of more than 10 per cent each year, as more organisations choose NHSmail as their preferred email service. This NHSmail factsheet (PDF, 77.0kB) provides some of the key facts and figures about the service.

NHSmail does everything that you would expect a modern business critical email system to do and has a number of benefits over alternative systems:

It’s secure

Emails within NHSmail, or sent to other secure email systems are protected to UK Government standards. This ensures that sensitive and confidential information is kept safe. All NHSmail users sign up to a code of use when they register, to confirm that they will use the system appropriately and maintain its security.

It saves money

Because NHSmail is secure, it can be used to replace more expensive paper or telephone-based communication processes, saving money that can be better used for patient care. And because of its economy of scale, it is cheaper to run than many other email systems.

It’s resilient

NHSmail works all day and night, running across duplicated secure data centres, in a similar way to many other major global organisations for whom the security and safety of information is mission-critical. Our helpdesk is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to make sure that users have access to their account whenever they need it.

It’s national

Staff can share calendars and folders with any other users on NHSmail, even if they are in different organisations. You can look up the contact details of more than one million NHS and business partner staff on the NHS Directory.

It’s recognised

NHSmail is endorsed by the British Medical Association (BMA), the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) and the Professional Records Standards Body (PRSB) for the transfer of clinical information.

NHSmail’s security credentials are also uniquely recognised by other specialist security organisations, including Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), the Police and the Ministry of Defence.

It’s safe

Users of NHSmail are protected by sophisticated and up-to-date anti-virus and anti-spam software, which checks every email passing through the NHSmail service.

It’s flexible

Because NHSmail is a national service, when organisations merge or re-organise, expensive email migrations are avoided and users can continue to communicate without disruption.

It’s mobile

You can access NHSmail from all common Smartphone or tablet devices, workplace computers, home computers or internet cafes wherever you are in the world. If a mobile device connected to NHSmail is lost or stolen, the information it contains can be remotely erased, keeping confidential information safe.

It’s integrated

NHSmail integrates seamlessly with the software installed on the vast majority of PCs, laptops, smartphones and tablets. It can also integrate with other applications, for example to send automated emails from clinical systems.

KCW LPC strongly recommends and endorses the use of NHSmail and we advise all our contractors to have an NHS.net email address for your pharmacy as it will not only be a requirement for all future commissioned services but also allows safer mode of communication of practise and patient sensitive information.

 Contact your cell lead if you wish for them to help you set one up. Those of you that already have these accounts are reminded you need to continue to use them so the account does not lapse – don’t expect us to continually support you when you cant be bothered to do what you need to from your end.

To access click www.nhs.net.

Requirement for a shared NHSmail mailbox

A requirement in the service specification is that if a contractor intends to provide the service, they must have a shared NHSmail mailbox for each of the pharmacy premises from where the service will be provided. Contractors should not register for the service until they have such a mailbox.

To access a shared NHSmail mailbox, users must have their own personal NHSmail address which is linked to the shared mailbox. This is to allow different staff members to access the mailbox without sharing of login details. Currently, only a small number of pharmacies have premises specific shared NHSmail mailboxes.

Information on how to obtain an Shared NHSmail account

If you want to obtain a shared NHSmail account for your pharmacy, you can do this via the NHSmail registration portal.

Remember if you do not use and log into your personal NHSmail account for more than 30 days then the system will lock you out. You will have to get in touch with Service Desk to re- activate the account. This is the same when you do not change your password when the system tells you that your password has expired. The system will make you change your password every 3 months for its security protection. 

For more assistance and help contact details for service desk on email: servicedesk@nw.london.nhs.uk or tel: 020 3350 4050

Please for not hesitate to get in touch with your KCW LPC cell leads either if more assistance is required.