01 December 2022
The optical sector Information and IT Committee has issued a reminder to NHS mail account holders in England around changes to the terms of usage.
The committee has also confirmed new contacts for account holders who encounter issues with NHS mail.
NHS Digital has announced that, as of 1 December 2022, any NHS mail account that has not been used for 30 days will be marked as inactive, and after a further 30 days, will be deleted.
This marks a reduction from the previous 90-day period for accounts to be marked as inactive, and then deleted.
Under the new terms, accounts can be restored for up to 30 days after being deleted, but will be permanently deleted after this time. In this instance, holders would be required to apply again for a new NHS mail account.
The optical sector Information and IT Committee is a joint committee made up of members of the national optical representative bodies, including the AOP.
The committee suggested that a pragmatic way of ensuring accounts remain active is to use Outlook to check emails regularly.
Other recommendations for account holders included, at least once every 30 days: logging into the NHSmail portal, logging onto O365, using O365 applications, or sending an email.
The NHS Business Services Authority has also provided new contact details for resolving NHS mail issues.
Previously, practices facing issues with an NHS mail address had sometimes been directed to Local Optical Committees (LOCs), but Information and IT committee has confirmed that these are not issues LOCs can resolve and administration of NHS mail accounts can only be done by the National Administration Service.
The committee has provided guidance for those who require help with NHS mail.
Those requesting a new account, where an account has been deleted, should contact [email protected], and holders who are unsure whether an account is still active, or require support, should contact [email protected].
The committee highlighted that a variety of user guides, FAQs, and guidance on how to register GOS contractors and performers, including locums, can be found online.
Holders who have not yet applied for an NHS mail account but wish to do so, can do this online.
The committee also noted that, for GOS contractors with more than 10 practices, the Egress encryption service remains the only solution at present, with the secretariat working to understand how and when a different solution will be put in place.
In the meantime, contractors can contact [email protected] for more information.
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