Any ideas how to solve a benign but very real issue (back at work and keen to impress)

[Newjob1980]

Have name changed...sorry

Gone back to work and now have a lovely job as a nurse in a community nursing team.
Feels wonderful to be back and Ive so much motivation and energy. Excited that I can engage my brain again!

The problem: We are having the fax machine removed. The Hospital Trust, does not like fax machines - for sending and receiving confidential information. Which is more than fair enough. Doesn't sound like a big problem, I hear you say. Howeverrrr....you wouldnt believe the issue this causes...

We use it to recieve referals from varied hospitals, gps and we use it to fax prescription requests to GP.


There is an overwhelming amount of Gp surgeries that will only accept faxed requests. Also the referals we recieve from places such as other hopitals are on the whole sent via fax also.

Does anyone work in an area, where they require accurate confidential information and also recieve accurate confidential information. If so how do you get around not using a fax machine

[ImperialBlether]

It can't be emailed?

[Gazelda]

Can't you scan the document and email?

[lrb978]

Tbf, we do still use fax, but we also have @nhs.net accounts which are deemed secure and get a number of referrals and other information that way. We don't email out to gp's yet, but I suspect it will come. Alternatively, and slower, is by post. But as with faxes there is no guarantee the letter will actually reach the recipient.

[ftmsoon]

They had to give us our fax machine back!! We tried emailing but it's just not practical so we carry on faxing.

[Newjob1980]

ImperialBlether - We've spoke to a number of Gp practices and the majority so far have said no to emails as they require letter headed paper to be reassured they are receiving a request from a valid sender. Some gp surgeries, mainly the newer ones have said they will accept emails or over the telephone.

Gazelda - We've thought about the scanning however this is soon to be an issue also. Our lovely administrator is leaving and they wont replace her due to cutbacks. Were each taking on aspects of her job. Weekly scanning takes around 3 hours a week to get it all on the system. Were also looking at ways to cut back on some of the scanning. We cant afford the time to begin start scanning more paperwork, unfortunately

Irb978 - have you got one central/whole team nhs account that people send referals too? I'll see if we can set one up, that way the people who we can recieve referals over email from come through to one place so we all can access.

ftmsoon - I love that they gave you the fax machine back!!! how did you manage that?????

[caroldecker]

Why can't you get a scanner that faxes or emails directly? No slower than faxing with a fax machine

[lljkk]

There are online services (can pay for) that will turn a word file or email into a fax & send it for you. I last one about 2.5 yrs ago. I don't know how they work now, but worth researching costs/services.

[ChipStix]

We send confidential info via email but we use a secure server.

I know that in the NHS we used to transfer record electronically and ooh referrals wee also transferred electronically using specialist software.

I'm not sure what you can do

[Catzpyjamas]

Worth having a look at the How to Geek page on send a fax without a fax machine. No carrier pigeons required

[Catzpyjamas]

We use faxtastic

[Balletgirlmum]

We send & receive confidential payroll & financial detail by fax.

The fax is situated in a smaller office so myself & one other colleague can monitor it. Organisations like child support agency (or whatever they call themselves now) telephone first before faxing payroll deductions requests to ensure the correct person is waiting for the fax.

We wouldn't be without it.

[Newjob1980]

Thanks all. There is one system that is used for emails that I think is the way were going to have to go. I've looked into it a bit more. I'll speak t the email system people with regards to GP practices so when I go to the Gp surgeries I'm a bit more armed and will see how we can push it with the local hospitals.

[originalusernamefail]

Do you not use SystmOne? You could use that to communicate withe surgeries / hospital.

[Lonecatwithkitten]

I work in a different healthcare field, but all our confidential information is via email.
Our referrals go out by email with lab reports and X-rays attached as appropriate. Clinical records can be emailed direct from the practice management system. All lab reports come in by email.
The only people still using the fax is hydrotherapy and once every six months it vomits out all our on going hydrotherapy referrals.

[lrb978]

Sorry for the late reply. Unfortunately I believe nhs.net insist, due the the security/confidentiality issues, that it is one email per person and not a shared email. However it may have changed since so it is worth looking into. I know more and more hospitals are insisting that if they email it comes to an nhs.net email. You can attach a header to your emails so they have a letterhead, as it were, but the whole thing about the nhs.net system is they are only allocated to nhs staff and so are valid (actually thinking about it, that is probably why you can't have a group one, cos of someone leaves that email could be compromised).

Doncha love the managers who insist admin aren't essential whilst not realising they are often the backbone of the team in many ways.