When a patient receives private treatment, their NHS GP practice must be informed to maintain continuity of care. This is a CQC requirement under the Effective domain.
Consultation/Prescription
│
├─ 1. Ask patient for consent to notify their GP
├─ 2. Record consent (or refusal) in the system
├─ 3. Prescription is signed → GPNotificationLog entry created
├─ 4. Notification sent to GP practice
└─ 5. Status tracked in GP Notification Log
Before issuing a private prescription, you must ask the patient:
"Do you consent to us sharing details of this consultation and prescription with your registered NHS GP practice?"
- The notification is sent automatically after AES signing
- The patient's GP receives a summary of the consultation and prescription
- This ensures continuity of care and safe prescribing
- Record the reason for refusal in the clinical notes
- Examples of valid reasons:
- Patient does not have a registered GP
- Patient wishes to inform their GP themselves
- Specific privacy concerns
- The refusal is documented in the GP Notification Log
- You must still prescribe if clinically appropriate, but document the discussion
The GP notification includes:
- Patient name, DOB, and NHS number
- Date of consultation
- Medication prescribed (name, strength, quantity, dosage)
- Clinical indication for the prescription
- Prescriber name and GMC number
Once a prescription is AES-signed:
- A GPNotificationLog entry is created automatically
- The notification method is recorded (Manual / NHS Notify / GP Connect)
- The notification status is tracked (Pending / Sent / Failed / Not Required)
As a clinician, you do not need to manually send GP notifications — the system handles this automatically after AES signing.
- Discuss GP notification before the consultation ends
- Document the consent discussion in your clinical notes
- If the patient refuses, record the specific reason — vague reasons may not satisfy CQC
- Reassure patients that only relevant clinical information is shared, not private matters unrelated to treatment
- The GP notification is for continuity of care and patient safety