Who can have NHSmail

This site is not NHSmail or the NHS, and you cannot log in here. To sign in to NHS email, use the link on NHS England's page, listed at the bottom of this page.

Information about the health and care of the people you support is sensitive. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) says it must be shared securely.

What NHSmail is now

NHS England says NHSmail is now called NHS.net Connect. It is the national platform for NHS email, communication and collaboration. Staff use it for email and calendars in Outlook, for Microsoft Teams, and for storing and sharing files. It also gives access to the NHS Directory, where staff can search for NHS colleagues by name, role or organisation.

The service has run since 2004. NHS England says over 1.7 million healthcare professionals and staff use it.

Who can have an account

NHS England says anyone who works for the NHS can use NHS.net Connect, if their organisation has been approved to use the service. Its list includes GPs, doctors, nurses, midwives, other clinical staff, administrative and support staff, social care workers, pharmacists and dentists.

An organisation applies, and its staff then get accounts. NHS England's access policy sets out which organisations can apply.

If another organisation commissioned yours to provide services, DHSC says that organisation may be able to provide accounts through its existing arrangements.

If you are unsure whether your organisation is eligible, DHSC says to contact feedback@nhs.net.

Care homes and home care providers

DHSC says NHS.net Connect is free of charge to care providers in England that are registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). It is also free to some organisations that provide publicly funded health and social care services.

Before it can use NHS.net Connect, a care provider must complete the Data Security and Protection Toolkit to at least "approaching standards".

How a provider applies depends on its IT. A provider without its own IT team can register through the National Administration Service (NAS). DHSC says that registering gives a helpdesk, email addresses ending in @nhs.net, one shared mailbox and up to 10 named user accounts.

A provider that manages its own IT may be able to apply to run its own accounts, using DHSC's self-management form. A provider that is not CQC-registered but meets the criteria signs the access policy document and sends it to feedback@nhs.net.

The secure email standard

DHSC says that to meet the secure email standard (DCB1596), you must use a secure email service when you send confidential or personal information.

A care provider can meet it in three ways. It can use NHS.net Connect, which already meets the standard. It can use another provider, such as Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, and make sure that service meets the standard. Or it can have its own email service accredited against the standard.

Organisations that use NHS.net Connect must still follow its acceptable use policy.

Signing in and getting help

To sign in, use the "Log into your NHS.net account" link on NHS England's page. If you're locked out or have forgotten your password, NHS England sends you to NHS.net Connect Support or your organisation's local administrator. For help setting up NHS.net Connect, DHSC gives the address helpdesk@nhs.net.

Useful links