GPs fear missing coronavirus advice as NHS email inboxes reach capacity

GPs are becoming concerned they could miss vital coronavirus information because their email inboxes are being filled with guidance sent out by staff.

According to a report by GPonline, an increase in guidance being sent to primary care staff has pushed some to their NHS email inbox capacity.

It says doctors have now warned there is a real possibility they could miss key updates on Covid-19 because once the four-gigabyte size limit on NHSmail accounts is surpassed by a certain amount, the user can no longer receive new messages.

They have called for a blanket increase in the size of NHSmail inboxes to help cut the increasing stress being caused by staff having to spend extra hours deleting emails to make space for new messages.

NHS Digital acknowledged the issue and said it was introducing a new system which would allow GPs to request an increase to their inbox capacity.

Chris Parsons, acting associate director of solutions assurance and programme head for NHSmail at NHS Digital, said: “We are aware that some GPs are reaching the limit of their mailbox capacity.

“To resolve this challenge in a measured way that does not put unnecessary strain on the system, we have simplified the process of increasing mailbox capacity.

“Rather than contacting local administrators to raise a purchase order for a higher limit, GPs can now contact the NHSmail support desk directly on 0333 200 1133 or helpdesk@nhs.net, requesting an incremental upgrade for their mailbox, which will be carried out straight away.

“We appreciate that GPs are under huge pressure at this time and are doing everything in our power to make sure that they are able to access the information that they are sent without having to worry about their inbox size.”