Professional Etiquette: Emailing Consultants & Secretaries: IMG guide for UK practice (2026)

Key points

Your email must be scannable: 1-line ask, 2-line context, clear deadline.
Secretaries are the throughput engine—treat them with precision and respect.
Use NHSmail secure/encryption rules: do not leak patient-identifiable info to non-secure addresses.

The NHS email hierarchy (what works in real life)

Consultants are time-poor; secretaries are process-rich. The fastest route is to email the consultant with the secretary copied when action is needed, or email the secretary directly for scheduling and paperwork. Your goal is to make it easy to say yes.

Information governance: don’t email patient identifiers casually

If you’re sending personal or confidential information to a non-secure email address, NHSmail guidance recommends using the NHSmail encryption feature. In practice: keep patient details out of emails unless you are certain the channel is appropriate and you follow local IG policy.

Subject lines that get opened

Use a format that signals urgency and content: [ACTION REQUIRED] Study leave request – Dr X – Dates Y–Z. Or [FYI] Ward issue – rota gap – impact on patient flow. Avoid vague subjects like “Request” or “Hello”.

Tone rule: confident, not apologetic

Replace “Sorry to bother you” with “I’d be grateful for your decision on X by Y.” Clear is kinder than anxious.

Copy-paste scripts (use as templates, not essays)

Script 1: Requesting annual/study leave

Subject: [ACTION REQUIRED] Leave request – Dr ___ – ___ to ___. Body: Dear ___, I’m requesting leave for ___ (dates). I’ve checked rota cover and propose ___ as cover/plan. Please can you confirm approval by ___? Kind regards, Dr ___, Grade, Dept, GMC number (optional).

Script 2: Requesting study budget

Subject: Study budget request – Course/Exam – Cost £___. Body: Dear ___, I’m planning ___ (course/exam) aligned to training requirements. Total cost is £___; dates are ___. Please advise the process to approve and claim. Kind regards, Dr ___.

Script 3: Requesting a WBA/assessment

Subject: WBA request – Mini-CEX/CBD – Patient seen on ___. Body: Dear Dr ___, I’d be grateful if you could complete a ___ based on the case we discussed on ___. I’ll send the link and keep it to 5 minutes. Many thanks, Dr ___.

Script 4: Raising a rota safety issue

Subject: [ACTION REQUIRED] Rota safety concern – ___ – dates ___. Body: Dear ___, I’m concerned the rota pattern on ___ (dates) risks unsafe working due to ___. Proposed fix: ___. Please advise next steps / schedule review. Kind regards, Dr ___.

SourceNHS Digital: Guidance for sending secure email (including encryption)

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SourceNHS England: NHSmail overview (secure service for sensitive information)

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Your learning path

Save your place and choose what comes next

Work through this guide (4 steps)

Use the actions from this article to track what you have worked through.

Script 1: Requesting annual/study leave
Subject: [ACTION REQUIRED] Leave request – Dr ___ – ___ to ___. Body: Dear ___, I’m requesting leave for ___ (dates). I’ve checked rota cover and propose ___ as cover/plan. Please can you confirm approval by ___? Kind regards, Dr ___, Grade, Dept, GMC number (optional).
Return to this section
Script 2: Requesting study budget
Subject: Study budget request – Course/Exam – Cost £___. Body: Dear ___, I’m planning ___ (course/exam) aligned to training requirements. Total cost is £___; dates are ___. Please advise the process to approve and claim. Kind regards, Dr ___.
Return to this section
Script 3: Requesting a WBA/assessment
Subject: WBA request – Mini-CEX/CBD – Patient seen on ___. Body: Dear Dr ___, I’d be grateful if you could complete a ___ based on the case we discussed on ___. I’ll send the link and keep it to 5 minutes. Many thanks, Dr ___.
Return to this section
Script 4: Raising a rota safety issue
Subject: [ACTION REQUIRED] Rota safety concern – ___ – dates ___. Body: Dear ___, I’m concerned the rota pattern on ___ (dates) risks unsafe working due to ___. Proposed fix: ___. Please advise next steps / schedule review. Kind regards, Dr ___.
Return to this section

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