Synopsis
Recognise when clinical suspicion triggers statutory notification, take immediate infection-control action and work with UKHSA health-protection teams without waiting for laboratory confirmation.
- Registered medical practitioners in England have a statutory duty to notify the proper officer of specified suspected diseases; use the current UKHSA online service for every report and the local health-protection team for urgent cases.
- Notification is based on clinical suspicion when the disease is notifiable; laboratory confirmation and laboratory reporting are separate processes.
- Urgent diseases must be telephoned to the health-protection team as soon as possible and within 24 hours; submit all notifications through the online service within 3 days. Routine notifications do not all require an urgent telephone call.
- Immediate clinical care and isolation proceed in parallel with notification; completing a form must not delay resuscitation, antimicrobials or post-exposure action.
- Check the current UKHSA list and urgency category at the point of care because diseases, reporting routes and categories can change; do not rely on an old paper list.
- Explain information sharing honestly: public-health disclosure is lawful and proportionate for protection, while unrelated confidential information remains safeguarded.
Key red flags
A compatible syndrome and exposure for a listed disease triggers notification even when molecular, culture or serology results are pending.
Meningococcal disease, measles, diphtheria and several other infections may require rapid prophylaxis, vaccination, exclusion or specialist sampling of contacts.
Similar gastrointestinal illness among linked people, unusual organism or shared venue indicates environmental and outbreak action beyond individual treatment.
Investigation priorities
Confirm that the suspected clinical diagnosis is notifiable and determine urgency.
Management branches
Clinical features and epidemiology make a listed disease plausible.
- Stabilise and treat the patient, apply pathogen-appropriate precautions and check the current statutory notification guidance.
- For a disease in the urgent category, telephone the local health-protection team as soon as possible and within 24 hours; submit every notification through the online service within 3 days with accurate identifiers, onset, setting, exposures and clinical status.
- Collect advised specimens without delaying care, document notification and responsible contacts and follow instructions on contact management and transfer.