Secure messaging in RPV piloting now

We originally hoped the NHS would find a way to send secure messages between staff and patients, but it hasn't.  So we're testing it inside RPV.   It's piloting in Edinburgh at the moment, and if it works, next thing will be to talk to other units about switching it on, unit by unit.
It works by sending an email (or in the future maybe a text message) to tell you there's a message for you in RPV.  You log in to read it. Exchanges are recorded as 'conversations'.  So far so like Facebook. 

There are a number of problems to work through to get this going:

• Should patients get a full list of all possible staff recipients (might be scores), or just a selected few addresses to send messages to?
• If a few, how do you choose them, and keep those lists up to date?
• Should staff recipients be individuals, or some kind of group address?  Things to be said both ways. 
• If individuals, how is it managed when they're away?
• Staff are concerned that it will ruin their lives.
• This is definitely creating something more than is currently held in Unit records. We've been cautious about doing that.  

Staff will need to use RPV more.  That's probably a good thing, we hope they'll appreciate how useful it is to patients.

Support to test this idea is coming from an EU Grant ('Sustains') in which the Scottish Government is a partner.  So the first pilots are in Scotland, but if successful anyone can have it.  We'll report back.