Guidance

The Health Protection (Notification) Regulations 2010

Registered medical practitioners (RMPs) have a statutory duty to notify the ‘proper officer’ at their local council or local health protection team (HPT – see below) of suspected cases of certain infectious diseases. Send the form to the proper officer within 3 days, or notify them verbally within 24 hours if the case is urgent by phone, letter, encrypted email. Full guidance can be seen on gov.uk.

Complete a notification form immediately on diagnosis of a suspected notifiable disease. Don’t wait for laboratory confirmation of a suspected infection or contamination before notification.

September 2024

New online service for infectious disease notifications

Until now, notification has been through a paper, telephone, and email-based system. However, on Thursday 12 September 2024, UKHSA launched ‘Report a Notifiable Disease’ – a new online service which will mean notifications can be made quickly and easily via gov.uk.

On this new page, doctors or clinicians will be able to access a simple form which will take them quickly and easily through all the information which needs to be entered for a case, and this will be sent directly to UKHSA.

Urgent cases will still need to be telephoned through to UKHSA, particularly out of hours to ensure a prompt response. A paper form is also available to download on the gov.uk page for any colleagues who are unable to access the new online service. Further information about the process and training videos can be found on the webpage.

How to look up your Local Health protection Agency (HPT)

If you need to contact your local Health Protection Agency, it may be helpful to look this up in advance of any issues so the details, including phone numbers, are to hand. You can look up your local health protection team via this link.

• An up to date list of notifiable infectious diseases can be seen on gov.uk. ​​​​

In addition doctors should notify:

• Cases of any other infectious diseases if they present or could present significant harm to human health
• Cases of patients who die with, but not necessarily because of, any notifiable disease or other infectious disease or contamination that presents, or could present, significant harm to human health.

Please don’t wait for laboratory confirmation before notification if there is reasonable clinical suspicion. If you have good reason to believe another doctor has already notified then there is no reason for you to do so, but prior notification by the lab does not remove the doctors responsibility to notify.

Further details can be found at: Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984, Health Protection (Notification) Regulations 2010 and  Health Protection Legislation (England) Guidance 2010

Contact details for Hampshire and Isle of Wight HPT (South East)

UK Health Security Agency
Fareham Borough Council
Civic Offices
Civic Way
Fareham
Hampshire
PO16 7AZ

Email: –  SE.AcuteResponse@ukhsa.gov.uk

Email for personal identifiable information (PII): hiow@phe.gov.uk

Telephone 0344 225 3861

Out of hours urgent enquiries 0344 225 3861

Email for Personal Identifiable Information: – phe.hiow@nhs.net

South West HPT (BSW and Dorset)

UK Health Security Agency
2 Rivergate
Temple Quay
Bristol
BS1 6EH

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