Policy on Email Contact
Aim:
- To ensure all contact made via email is acknowledged.
- To ensure all front desk staff are trained in receiving emails and how to forward them on appropriately.
- To ensure a safe and auditable communication pathway.
Applies to all staff at Durham Health:
- No doctors personal emails are given to patients.
- All emails come via reception@durhamhealth.co.nz.
- Front desk staff forward the email to the doctor in question. Also send a task to the doctors task bar informing them they have an email to read. The email is copied and pasted into the patients records.
- The doctor acknowledges the email and replies back with their instructions to the front desk.
- The front desk staff responds to the patient
- The doctor will record their instructions in the patient's records
- If the email is considered to be of an urgent nature it should also be printed and given to the doctor to ensure appropriate timely intervention