Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of GP surgeries asking patients to email a photograph of their skin conditions.

No specific assessment has been made. However, NHS England and NHS Improvement work with NHS Digital to ensure that the digital tools used within primary care enable patients to access care from general practitioner (GP) practices which meet their clinical needs and support accessibility, inclusivity and take account of the patient’s preference.

The functionality of digital products is assessed nationally via procurement frameworks, which consider information governance, clinical safety and cyber security before products are approved. Images sent to practices from patients must be stored in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation and in line with the storage and management policy for all patient data. NHS England and NHS Improvement strongly encourage practices and commissioners to use an approved and assured digital product to communicate with patients and to facilitate sending pictures.

The request, receipt and use of images must be guided by the principle of the interests of the patient and assessed on a case by case basis. The practice should determine whether to request an image from a patient and whether this would be clinically appropriate to support providing care, reaching a diagnosis or deciding what further care should be provided, depending on the needs of the patient. Practices should also consider the patient’s non-medical circumstances and preferences when making this decision.