Remote Working

The page summarises the various tools that are available to City and Hackney practices to enable remote working.

Laptops

In recent years, including recently during the Covid-19 pandemic, the CCG has procured various models of laptops for use by practices. The laptops are broadly similar in that they facilitate remote access to secure systems such as EMIS but do have some differences, most prominently in the VPN or secure remote access services that they use.

The table below summarises the various models and how they work.

Further detail about the Dell Latitude 5300 laptops since the Covid-19 Pandemic can be found in the downloads section above.
 

Secure connectivity / VPN services

When working at the practice staff are able to access secure systems like EMIS Web due to the secure HSCN connection providing internet connectivity. This is not the case when working from home where you are likely to be using a standard broadband connection.

A VPN token or secure remote access service will allow you to access EMIS Web by securing your home connection. This is done by connecting to the VPN/SRAS using the Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client which will be present on the desktop or Start menu of any of the laptops listed above.

The Cisco client can be configured to use different services and you will immediately be able to tell which service your laptop uses when you open the Cisco client as it will say in the drop down box in the middle of the app (examples below).

The Cisco app work in conjunction with an app called MobilePASS+ that can installed on the desktop of the laptop (with admin rights) or on your personal mobile phone. With a VPN token enrolled, this app will generate a passcode required to authenticate your secure connection. In the case of the EMIS SRAS, this function can also be carried out on a hard VPN token.

Further guidance on using VPN services can be found here.

For EMIS SRAS you should already be in possession of a hard VPN token or received an activation email for a soft VPN token. If this is not the case you can contact Thomas Clark.

Guidance for enrolling soft VPN tokens from EMIS can be found here.

For the Redcentric SRAS, soft VPN tokens can be requested from the following email address:

thccg.vpn@nhs.net

Please provide your email address, practice and PCN when requesting.

This email address can also be used an alternative to the Egton helpdesk if you are experiencing technical difficulties with a Redcentric VPN.

It is recommended that you enrol these VPN tokens on your phone. Further guidance on how to enrol one of these VPN tokens can be found in the download section of this page.
 

Away From My Desk (AFMD)

Some licences are still available for AFMD, software which allow a user to remotely take control of a PC onsite at the practice and have access to all the applications on that PC. This is ideal for staff needing regular access to their local file server.

To request a licence please complete the request form available from the downloads section and submit to nelcsu.welcgpitrequests@nhs.net

Please be aware that there are a limited number of licences and we will try fulfil practice requests as equitably as possible.
 

File sharing and cloud storage

Remote access to files and sharing can also be done through MS Teams. Each NHS Mail account holder should be able to log into the Teams desktop app using their NHS Mail credentials.

This will give them access to 2GB of secure OneDrive storage which they will be able to access wherever they are working. Teams will also allow you to share files with colleagues.

Dell Latitude 5300 laptops already have the Teams desktop app installed.

Further guidance on signing into Teams using your NHS Mail can be found here.

Guidance on the use of Teams can be found here and here.