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Letters from NHS Lothian

Letters from NHS Lothian are now being sent electronically

 

NHS Lothian are moving over to sending letters electronically meaning you can view your administration letters on your mobile phone, tablet or computer.  Unfortunately, this method of communication is currently unavailable to General Practice.

Across NHS Lothian we send a high volume of letters by post each month.  To help us reach patients quicker, reduce costs and reduce the environmental impact, we are moving to sending our administration letters electronically where possible.  By administration letters, we mean letters such as Outpatient appointment letters, Cancellation letters, Add to Waiting List or Re-scheduled appointments etc.

If you have a mobile phone then you don’t need to wait for your administration letter to arrive in the post anymore as you will receive notification to view your letter at the click of a button via our online portal.

Don’t worry about missing a letter as if you don’t open the electronic letter- within 48 hours a hard copy paper version will be sent to you by post. If you don’t have a mobile phone, or you’ve not given us your mobile number, you will continue to receive paper letters in the post.

For more detailed information please visit https://services.nhslothian.scot/electronicletters/


Published on 15th May 2025

NEW Private Provider Requests

From the 1st June 2024 – NEW PRIVATE PROVIDER REQUESTS 

From 1 June 2024 we will no longer be able to take on prescribing and monitoring of shared-care medications or specialist monitoring of certain medical conditions for ANY patients with a diagnosis made in the private sector. These shared-care medications and/or conditions require specialist monitoring and review, and many such medications are either only licensed for specialist prescribing or prescribed outside their licensed use.  Medications prescribed for ADHD, gender incongruence, dementia, Isotretinoin for severe acne, monitoring after private bariatric surgery are some examples.

This is a decision that has been agreed across GP practices in Lothian and supported by the Lothian Local Medical Committee due to capacity and workload issues, the longstanding underfunding in primary care, and the impact of long NHS waiting lists. We appreciate your understanding during these challenging times. We are more than happy to discuss onward NHS referrals in a routine appointment for a second opinion or transfer of care, but we cannot prescribe in the interim period.

Where a private specialist recommends the prescribing of a non-formulary or unlicensed medication we can only agree to ongoing prescribing if we have experience of the medication requested. If this is not the case, you will be directed back to the private provider for private provision or offered a suitable, formulary-based alternative that is within our remit as NHS GPs.

With regards to a private provider requesting investigation by the GP, the British Medical Association guidance clearly states that investigation should only be arranged through the GP-patient encounter and within the competencies of the GP. With regards to a private provider seeking a GP opinion for appropriateness of a privately provided treatment, again this is not within the NHS-funded duties of a GP. There are many other instances where the request from the private provider may not be accepted, and we will communicate this clearly to the best of our ability.


Published on 29th Jan 2025

Page last reviewed: 15 May 2025
Page created: 08 April 2024