Paperless Clinical Correspondence
Four years ago, the Oesophago-gastric unit at University Hospitals Plymouth faced a familiar challenge: managing clinical correspondence efficiently without a fully integrated electronic records system.
They introduced a simple but effective solution — the Digital Intray — that has since been adopted by 16 service lines across the Trust.
What Changed?
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Outlook Rules for a Virtual Clinical Intray: They created custom rules in Outlook to direct all clinical emails into a dedicated digital inbox, helping clinicians to separate patient-related communication from general admin.
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Digitising at the Point of Entry: The secretarial team began scanning all incoming paper correspondence, proactively attaching relevant digital records from other systems — creating a centralised, streamlined view for clinicians.
These changes allowed them to become the first fully paper-free clinical unit within the Trust.
What Did It Achieve?
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Faster clinician responses & remote decision-making
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Better involvement of trainees in care pathways
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Reduced admin burden & fewer calls chasing results
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Improved safety and traceability of communication
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Thousands of paperless interactions, supporting sustainability
Crucially, this required no new funding or IT systems — just existing tools and a shift in workflow. Thanks to the ongoing support of the secretarial team and the Quality Academy, this grassroots idea became a model for others — a reminder that small, practical innovations can drive big change.
As the Trust moves toward full EPR rollout next year, it’s encouraging to see how a simple idea can enhance care, reduce waste, and improve daily working life in the NHS.
