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Notifiable diseases

Medical Professionals

Professional Reference articles are designed for health professionals to use. They are written by UK doctors and based on research evidence, UK and European Guidelines. You may find one of our health articles more useful.

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England1

Registered medical practitioners have a statutory duty to notify the 'proper officer' at their local council or local health protection team (HPT) of suspected cases of notifiable diseases. They must:

  • Complete a notification form immediately on diagnosis of a suspected notifiable disease. They should not wait for laboratory confirmation of a suspected infection or contamination before notification.

  • Send the form securely to the proper officer within three days, or notify them verbally within 24 hours if the case is urgent.

Northern Ireland2

If a registered medical practitioner becomes aware, or suspects, that a patient whom they are attending within the district of a local authority is suffering from a notifiable disease, they shall forthwith send to the proper officer of the local authority for the district a certificate stating:

  • The name, age and sex of the patient and the address where the patient is.

  • The disease and the date, or approximate date, of its onset.

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Scotland3

  • All registered medical practitioners must notify their health board if they have a reasonable suspicion that a patient whom they are attending has a notifiable disease. They should not wait until laboratory confirmation of the suspected disease before notification.

  • Practitioners must notify their health board, electronically via the Scottish Care Information (SCI) Gateway, within three days of suspicion.

  • If the practitioner deems the case to be 'urgent', notification should take place by telephone as soon as reasonably practicable. All urgent oral notifications must be followed up, in writing, within three days of suspicion.

Wales4

  • Regulations require that a registered medical practitioner notify the proper officer of the relevant local authority if a patient they are attending is believed to have a notifiable disease.

  • The notification must be made in writing to the proper officer within three days of the medical practitioner suspecting that the patient fulfils one of the above criteria. However, if the medical practitioner considers that the case is urgent, notification must be provided orally as soon as is reasonably practical.

Notification of the infectious diseases (as in the table below) is required by GPs in the UK.

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Lists of notifiable diseases

England5

Northern Ireland2

Scotland 3

Wales6

Anthrax

Anthrax

Anthrax

Anthrax

Botulism

Botulism

Botulism

Brucellosis

Brucellosis

Brucellosis

Chickenpox

Cholera

Cholera

Cholera

Cholera

COVID-19

COVID-19

COVID-19

COVID-19

Diphtheria

Diphtheria

Diphtheria

Diphtheria

Dysentery

Encephalitis and meningitis

Encephalitis and meningitis

Encephalitis and meningitis

Enteric fever (typhoid or paratyphoid fever)

Enteric fever (typhoid or paratyphoid fever)

Enteric fever (typhoid or paratyphoid fever)

Enteric fever (typhoid or paratyphoid fever)

Escherichia coli O157 infection (Clinical syndrome due to this)

Food poisoning

Food poisoning

Food poisoning

Gastroenteritis (<2 years)

Haemolytic uraemic syndrome

Haemolytic uraemic syndrome

Haemolytic uraemic syndrome

Haemophilus influenzae type b

Hepatitis (infectious)

Hepatitis A, B, unspecified

Hepatitis (infectious)

Infectious bloody diarrhoea

Infectious bloody diarrhoea

Invasive group A streptococcal disease

Invasive group A streptococcal disease

Legionnaires' disease

Legionnaires' disease

Legionnaires' disease

Leptospirosis

Leprosy

Leprosy

Malaria

Malaria

Malaria

Measles

Measles

Measles

Measles

Meningococcal septicaemia

Meningococcal septicaemia

Meningococcal disease

Meningococcal septicaemia

Monkeypox (Mpox)

Monkeypox (Mpox)

Monkeypox (Mpox)

Monkeypox (Mpox)

Mumps

Mumps

Mumps

Mumps

Necrotising fasciitis

Plague

Plague

Plague

Plague

Poliomyelitis

Poliomyelitis

Poliomyelitis

Poliomyelitis

Rabies

Rabies

Rabies

Rabies

Relapsing fever

Rubella

Rubella

Rubella

Rubella

Scarlet fever

Scarlet fever

Scarlet fever

Severe acute respiratory syndrome

Severe acute respiratory syndrome

Severe acute respiratory syndrome

Smallpox

Smallpox

Smallpox

Smallpox

Tetanus

Tetanus

Tetanus

Tetanus

Tuberculosis (any site)

Tuberculosis (any site)

Tuberculosis (any site)

Tuberculosis (any site)

Tularemia

Typhus

Typhus

Typhus

Viral haemorrhagic fever

Viral haemorrhagic fever

Viral haemorrhagic fever

Viral haemorrhagic fever

West Nile fever

Whooping cough

Whooping cough

Whooping cough

Whooping cough

Yellow fever

Yellow fever

Yellow fever

Yellow fever

How to report a notifiable disease (notification)

Notification requires the completion of the appropriate form; however, notify urgent cases by phone as well (as soon as possible - certainly within 24 hours of any suspicions).

Details required

  • Patient's name, date of birth, sex and home address with postcode.

  • Patient's NHS number.

  • Ethnicity (used to monitor health equalities).

  • Occupation and/or place of work or educational establishment if relevant.

  • Current residence (if it is not the home address).

  • Contact telephone number.

  • Contact details of a parent (for children).

  • The disease or infection, or nature of poisoning/contamination being reported.

  • Date of onset of symptoms and date of diagnosis.

  • Any relevant overseas travel history.

  • If in hospital, also:

    • Hospital address.

    • Day admitted.

    • Whether the disease was contracted in hospital.

There is no longer a fee payable for notification.

Comments

Further reading and references

  1. Notifiable diseases and causative organisms: how to report; Public Health England, 2010
  2. Infection Control Guidelines; Northern Ireland Regional Infection Prevention and Control Manual
  3. Implementation of Part 2: Notifiable diseases, organisms and health risk states; Public Health etc. (Scotland) Act 2008
  4. Health Protection Legislation (Wales) Guidance 2010. Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru/Public Health Wales, July 2010.
  5. List of notifiable diseases (England); Public Health England
  6. Schedule 1: Notifiable diseases and syndromes; About the Notification of Infectious Disease in Wales, Public Health Wales
  7. Pillaye J, Clarke A; An evaluation of completeness of tuberculosis notification in the United Kingdom. BMC Public Health. 2003 Oct 6;3:31.
  8. Brabazon ED, O'farrell A, Murray CA, et al; Under-reporting of notifiable infectious disease hospitalizations in a health board region in Ireland: room for improvement? Epidemiol Infect. 2007 Mar 30;:1-7.
  9. Durrheim DN, Massey IP, Kelly H; Re-emerging poliomyelitis - is Australia's surveillance adequate? Commun Dis Intell. 2006;30(3):275-7.

Article history

The information on this page is written and peer reviewed by qualified clinicians.

  • Next review due: 14 Oct 2027
  • 15 Oct 2024 | Latest version

    Last updated by

    Dr Doug McKechnie, MRCGP

    Peer reviewed by

    Dr Pippa Vincent, MRCGP
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