HealthHarmonie Commitment to NHS Interface Guidance

HealthHarmonie recognises the importance of effective collaboration between primary and secondary care in delivering safe, timely, and patient-centred services. Our commitment reflects national expectations set out in NHS England’s guidance on improving interface working, the NHS Standard Contract, and relevant GMC and BMA publications.

As part of this commitment, HealthHarmonie will:

Ensure clinical teams take responsibility for their actions, including ordering investigations, reviewing and acting on results, and initiating appropriate follow-up or referral without inappropriate delegation to primary care.
Communicate directly with NHS colleagues rather than via patients, with the aim of improving continuity and safety in care transitions.
Provide timely and clear clinical correspondence, avoiding jargon or unnecessary abbreviations, and clearly outlining any requests or actions expected of other services.
Ensure prescribing decisions are clinically appropriate and that initiation, monitoring, and shared care arrangements are only transferred to primary care with formal agreement.
Avoid committing other teams or individuals to actions or timescales without prior agreement and support appropriate handover when necessary.
Maintain respectful and professional working relationships with all healthcare colleagues, ensuring that patient care remains at the centre of all decision-making.
Introduce a standardised interface feedback form to allow staff to report concerns or examples of poor interface working. This will help identify themes, support learning, and drive continuous improvement across clinical services.

View feedback form

This commitment has been reviewed by our Clinical Operations and Clinical Governance teams and will be regularly updated in line with changes to national guidance and local service expectations.

	Bea Rodden Chief Operating Officer		Tim Bray Chief Medical Officer
	Leanne Cooper Director of Gvernance and CQC Registered Manager		Jennifer Nichols Head of Primary Care Partnerships