In early March 2020, Egress partnered with NHS Digital to deliver the email encryption solution for NHSmail via integration with Egress Protect.
This means that when NHS and private medical professionals use NHSmail to send and receive sensitive patient data via email, Egress provides the security and authentication technology that protects this information.
We’re proud to partner with NHS Digital to deliver this service – especially at this time of immense pressure for NHS employees, as well as their private medical counterparts, as they respond to the COVID-19 global pandemic.
The majority of employees in the NHS already have access to NHSmail – and unsurprisingly, it’s a tool they’re utilising as demand for healthcare services increases across the country. We’ve seen an increase of 400% of traffic across the network in March, and in response, we wanted to provide some guidance to help NHSmail users and their recipients to get the most out of the services as possible.
Advice for NHS healthcare professionals
- It’s an efficient way to share data securely. NHSmail is used by over 80% of the UK’s healthcare industry. This includes NHS trusts and affiliate organisations, as well as private healthcare providers.
- Recipients don’t have to have an NHSmail account to receive encrypted emails. In circumstances where recipients don’t have NHSmail accounts (for example, patients), they can sign up to Egress absolutely free of charge to read and reply to your emails. You can consult NHSmail guidelines about how to send secure email externally.
- You can track what’s happening with the data you share. Both NHSmail users and your recipients get access to audit logs for every email sent, including whether someone has opened your message.
- You can recall sent emails. Again, this is a feature for both NHSmail users and their recipients: you can recall emails even after they’re reached someone else’s mailbox, which prevents unauthorised access if a recipient should no longer be able to read the message.
We hope you find NHSmail an easy way to share patient data securely. If you need any help using your NHSmail account, please visit: https://support.nhs.net/.
For non-NHSmail users, including patients and private healthcare professionals
- Remember, it’s always free to email NHSmail users! You don’t need to pay to read and reply to emails sent to you from an NHSmail account. You can also initiate secure conversations with NHSmail users free of charge.
- It’s easy to access secure emails – including via mobile devices. You can access NHSmail emails through our free Office 365 and Outlook plug-ins, which means you don’t have to log into a different system to read and reply. We also provide free mobile apps for iOS and Android, so you can access and send encrypted emails on the go. Visit our downloads page for more information.
- You have complete control over the data you share. This includes comprehensive audit logs, which includes details such as when secure emails have been opened, as well as the ability to completely recall emails even after they’ve been sent.
If you need any help while using Egress to read and reply to NHSmail emails, or any other information that’s encrypted with Egress, please visit our online Support Centre.