We have just been told that BVH will be switching off its fax machine used to send emergency eye referrals TOMORROW (ie Friday 14th February).
They are wanting emergency referrals to be emailed to them at the following address using NHS.net email accounts bfweyesecretaries@nhs.net
This will present difficulties for practitioners who do not have NHS.net email accounts as to use an ordinary email account is deemed to be un-secure and could lead to breach of ICO and GDPR rules.
We have been working hard over the last 24 hrs to find an alternative method for sending emails without using an NHS.net account and a few colleagues in the Barrow-in-Furness area are using the 7 ZIP program (which relies on the sender and recipient knowing a password) . If you wish to use this method for referrals please contact dominic.kilgallon@nhs.net for more details.
If neither of these options is possible we think that you will have telephone the eye clinic and give the patient a copy of the referral letter to take with them.
The issue of the closing down of hospital fax machines is being driven nationally under the “axe the fax” agenda , but the NHS has failed to understand the implications for our profession unfortunately despite our best endeavours to tell them!
