We are required to check our data sharing against the national Opt out database. You are not allowed to hold the opt out status against the record but can maintain a cache of the results for a fixed period but must regularly update it.
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The file needs use a a unique name and NHS Digital recommend your mailbox ID, the date the file is produced, and a 4-digit sequence number to show what order that file has been produced in that month, each separated by hyphens.
For example, an our organisation with MESH mailbox ID 8HQ50OT001 (Renal Association Id) , that had has produced a file on 3 June 2020 and which was the first file produced that month, would have use the file name:
8HQ50OT001-030620-0001
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Ensure no odd characters used in the above fields such as a : as the message will be sent but no response will be received. Only use underscore or hypen to separate fields. |
Click submit to send the message the response will be received in the next 40 minutes. If the mail message setup is incorrect (such as not filling in subject and message fields ) then no response will be received.
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If the file contains incorrect NHS numbers you will receive a file containing a single line:
The fie seems to accept CHI numbers but they must have leading zeros all numbers must be the correct length. |
If successful you receive back a file to download named the same as the message with a .dat extension. The format is the same as the sent file only now it only contains NHS numbers for people who haven't opted out.
To keep a record of optouts Q:\National OptOut has been created with a submitted and returned folder.