Legal obligation to notify

Doctors caring for individuals suspected of having certain infectious diseases have a legal obligation to notify the details of the case to the proper officer of the local authority. This is usually the Consultant in Communicable Disease Control (CCDC) at the local unit of the Health Protection Agency (HPA).

This enables the officer to put appropriate preventive and control measures into place if necessary.

Notification forms are available on the government website or your hospital’s intranet site. If urgent action is likely to be required, notification to the HPT can be carried out by phone or via email using the postcode lookup link.

Learning Bite

All registered medical practitioners have a statutory duty to notify certain infectious diseases to the local health protection team.