Case Study
Digitising Clinical Correspondence Between Private Healthcare and GP Surgeries
Summary
This project enabled a private healthcare provider to send clinical correspondence to GP surgeries electronically, replacing paper-based letters. Using NHS GP Connect over MESH for secure transfer and Mirth Connect for message transformation, HL7 messages were translated into FHIR-compliant formats.
The solution achieved full ITK3 compliance, reduced reliance on paper, and delivered faster, auditable communication between clinics and GPs.
Key Highlights
• Secure electronic transmission of letters to GPs across the UK via NHS GP Connect over MESH.
• Translation of HL7 messages into FHIR-compliant messages using Mirth Connect.
• Full compliance with NHS England’s digital correspondence standards.
• Scalable, extensible architecture ready for other message types and providers.
• Reduced manual workload, positive experience for staff.
• More time to deal with patients and other tasks.
• Enhanced auditability and visibility across the end-to-end workflow.
• Significant reduction in manual handling, postage costs, and delivery delays.
• ITK3 compliance achieved.
• Eliminated delays in information sharing.
In Numbers
• 26000+ letters sent electronically each month.
• 99% average reduction in delivery time compared to paper.
• 95% decrease in administrative overhead for clinical staff.
• All GP surgeries in England onboarded.
• £450,000 in annualised cost and efficiency savings.
The Challenge
Historically, correspondence between private healthcare providers and GP surgeries relied on paper letters sent via post. This created multiple challenges:
• Delays in care due to letters arriving days after being issued.
• Administrative overhead from scanning, manual entry, and chasing missing correspondence.
• Data quality risks, as letters could be lost, misfiled, or delayed.
The client required a solution that would digitise this process, ensure compliance with NHS standards, and establish a reliable, scalable pathway for electronic clinical communication.
The Solution
Flow: Medisight → HL7 → Mirth → FHIR → MESH → GP Connect → PAS
Initially, the project team considered sending letters directly to each GP’s MESH mailbox.
However, this raised challenges around identifying the correct mailbox code for each registered patient’s GP. To address this, the team adopted the GP Connect “Send Document” functionality, which enables mailbox lookup within the MESH message, ensuring accurate routing.
We implemented a secure, standards-compliant architecture that:
1. MESH Integration – Established NHS MESH connectivity to securely transmit correspondence directly into GP systems.
2. Message Transformation – Configured Mirth Connect as the integration engine, converting HL7 messages into FHIR-compliant formats aligned with ITK3 standards.
3. NHS Collaboration – Worked closely with NHS Digital teams to secure approval for the use of GP Connect workflows via MESH.
4. Data Mapping – clinical data fields to preserve accuracy and ensure correspondence was usable within GP clinical systems.
5. Monitoring & Auditability – Implemented end-to-end monitoring and logging, providing IT and clinical teams with full visibility of message flows and enabling rapid issue resolution.
6. Phased Deployment – Conducted a pilot with a small number of GP practices before scaling, allowing iterative refinement of mappings and workflows.
The Outcomes
The project delivered measurable improvements:
• Faster communication: GP surgeries now receive digital letters almost instantly.
• Reduced administrative effort: printing, posting, and manual scanning requirements were significantly reduced.
• Improved patient safety: clinicians have quicker access to vital correspondence, reducing delays in decision-making.
• Auditability: every message is tracked end-to-end, with full error handling and reporting.
• Compliance achieved: ITK3 compliance enabled the use of NHS GP Connect workflows.
• Future-ready architecture: supports easy onboarding of additional providers and new correspondence types.
• Direct GP benefits: practices reported secondary gains, such as no longer needing to manually scan letters into patient record systems.
About AT Technical
AT Technical specialises in secure, standards-based healthcare integrations that align with NHS England requirements. This project demonstrates our ability to deliver measurable improvements in efficiency, compliance, and patient outcomes across healthcare organisations.