How EMMA Matches Caller Identity to the Clinical System via PDS
Purpose of Document
Patient identity verification is central to how EMMA works, how it ensures clinical accuracy, and how it aligns with NHS data governance requirements. Support staff must understand the full process to answer practice questions accurately, explain what PDS is, explain what Caller ID is and is not, and troubleshoot identity-related issues without creating unnecessary concern.
Background: What PDS Is
The Personal Demographics Service (PDS) is the NHS national database of patient demographic information. It holds the legal name, date of birth, postcode, NHS number, and registration status of every patient registered with an NHS GP practice in England.
EMMA uses PDS to verify caller identity on every call. This is a live lookup, meaning EMMA queries PDS in real time during each call and receives the patient's verified demographic information directly from the NHS system.
This is the same system used across NHS digital services including the NHS App, NHS login, and clinical systems. EMMA's use of PDS is covered under the QuantumLoop AI DPIA and DSPT certification.
The Full Identity Matching Process
Before V12: Two-layer process
Layer 1: Caller ID (optional) If a surgery has uploaded a patient list and enabled Caller ID, EMMA pre-matches the caller's phone number to a patient record before the call begins. This speeds up identification.
Layer 2: PDS live lookup EMMA asks the patient for their name, date of birth, and postcode. These are used to verify the patient against PDS in real time. PDS returns the verified patient record including the legal name and NHS number.
PDS verification always runs regardless of whether Caller ID is enabled. Caller ID simply speeds up the initial identification step.
From V12 (May 2026): Patient ID
As of EMMA V12, Patient ID is a new foundational feature that changes when patient details are collected.
EMMA now captures patient details at the very start of every call. This is how human receptionists already work, and the change mirrors that familiar flow. The patient identifies themselves as the very first step before their request is discussed.
This unlocks complete visibility across everything EMMA does for the practice. Every NHS App redirection is now tied to a named patient. Every Pharmacy First signpost. Every emergency pathway referral. Every interaction is attributed to a verified patient record from the start.
This directly supports the new April 2026 practice-level access metrics including call waiting times, same-day urgent access, and non-urgent appointment routing. It also provides the foundation for SNOMED-coded bulk uploads coming in a future release.
What Information EMMA Collects to Verify Identity
EMMA collects the following from every caller:
| Data Point | Purpose |
|---|---|
| First name and surname | Used for PDS lookup and form submission |
| Date of birth | Used for PDS lookup and patient verification |
| Postcode | Used for PDS lookup confirmation |
| Phone number (from Caller ID, if enabled) | Used for pre-match before PDS lookup |
EMMA does not ask for the patient's NHS number. The NHS number is returned by PDS as part of the verification result, not collected from the patient.
What Happens After PDS Verification
PDS verified patient
If EMMA successfully matches the patient against PDS, the verified name and NHS number are used for the rest of the call and appear on the form submission.
For Accurx surgeries (from February 2026), PDS-verified patients appear in form submissions in the format: Surname, First Name (NHS Number). This gives clinical staff instant visibility of the NHS number without needing to cross-reference separate fields.
For non-Accurx surgeries, the verified name is used on the form submission in the standard format.
Non-PDS verified patient
If EMMA cannot match the patient against PDS, the call is not abandoned. EMMA continues to handle the call and captures what the patient tells her. The submission will appear without an NHS number and without the PDS-verified name format.
There are several reasons a patient may not verify against PDS:
- The patient gave details that do not match the PDS record, for example an old postcode or a name change not yet updated on the NHS system
- The patient provided details too quietly or unclearly for EMMA to capture them correctly
- The patient disconnected or the call dropped before verification completed
- The patient is not registered at that surgery
For Woodingdean Surgery (from February 2026), EMMA sends an SMS continuation link even when registration verification has not been completed, ensuring patients are not blocked from completing their request due to a verification failure.
What Happens When a Caller is Not Registered at the Surgery
EMMA performs a live PDS lookup on every call and can identify whether a caller is registered at the surgery. However, due to NHS requirements, EMMA must handle all incoming calls including those from unregistered patients.
EMMA handles unregistered patients in the following ways:
- EMMA can capture information from someone wishing to register and flag it as an administrative request
- EMMA can signpost the patient to a registration link
- The submission will appear in the dashboard clearly marked, allowing the practice team to action it appropriately
Caller ID: What It Is and What It Is Not
Caller ID is an optional feature that allows EMMA to pre-match a caller's phone number to a patient record before the call begins. It is not a replacement for PDS verification.
What Caller ID does:
- Speeds up the initial identification step by recognising the caller's number
- Allows the patient to move quickly through their request while PDS verification runs in the background
- Is based on a one-time upload of the surgery's patient list during onboarding
What Caller ID does not do:
- Replace PDS verification. PDS runs on every call regardless of Caller ID status.
- Guarantee a match. If the patient calls from a different number, Caller ID will not pre-match them.
- Store patient data permanently without governance. The patient list is imported into EMMA's secure encrypted database, the SharePoint upload link is deleted after import, and all data is governed under DTAC, DPIA, and DSPT certification.
Caller ID is optional. Surgeries can go live without Caller ID and use live PDS validation only. Caller ID can be activated at any point after go-live.
Patient ID (V12) vs Caller ID vs PDS: Summary
| Feature | What It Does | When It Runs | Optional or Mandatory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caller ID | Pre-matches caller phone number to patient record before call begins | Before call starts if phone number is in the uploaded list | Optional |
| PDS live lookup | Verifies patient identity against the NHS national database in real time | During every call | Mandatory on every call |
| Patient ID (V12) | Ensures patient details are captured at the very start of the call before request discussion begins | At start of every call on V12 | Mandatory on V12 |
Common Questions From Practices and How to Answer Them
"Do we need to upload our patient list for EMMA to work?"
No. EMMA works without a patient list upload. PDS live verification runs on every call regardless. The patient list upload is only needed to enable the optional Caller ID feature which speeds up the initial identification step.
"What happens if a patient calls from a mobile number not in our records?"
Caller ID will not pre-match them if the number is not in the uploaded list. EMMA will proceed directly to the standard name, date of birth, and postcode verification via PDS. The call is handled normally.
"Why does a submission show a patient's name without an NHS number?"
This means the patient was not PDS-verified during that call. The submission was captured based on what the patient said but could not be matched to a PDS record. The practice team should review the submission carefully and may need to contact the patient to confirm identity.
"Can EMMA identify if a patient is not registered at our surgery?"
Yes. PDS lookup returns registration status. EMMA can identify unregistered callers. Due to NHS requirements EMMA must still handle all incoming calls but will flag the request appropriately for the practice team.
"Is patient data from the Caller ID upload stored securely?"
Yes. The uploaded file is immediately imported into EMMA's secure encrypted database covered under DTAC, DPIA, and DSPT certifications. It is encrypted at rest and in transit using AES-256-bit encryption and stored within Microsoft Azure UK data centres. The temporary SharePoint upload link is deleted after import. The data never leaves NHS-approved UK cloud infrastructure.
Step-by-Step Triage Process
- Ask the practice to describe the specific identity-related issue. Is a patient not being verified? Is the wrong name appearing on submissions? Is an NHS number missing from an Accurx submission?
- Confirm whether the surgery has Caller ID enabled and when the patient list was last uploaded.
- Check whether the affected patient was PDS-verified during the call by reviewing the call recording and the submission format.
- If PDS-verified but the NHS number is missing from an Accurx submission, check whether this predates February 2026.
- If the patient was not PDS-verified, assess the likely cause: mismatched details, unclear audio, unregistered patient, or disconnection.
- If PDS verification is consistently failing for patients who should be verifying successfully, escalate to engineering with affected call IDs and surgery ODS code.
What to Tell the Practice
Example wording explaining the PDS process:
"EMMA verifies every patient's identity using the NHS Personal Demographics Service during every call. The patient gives their name, date of birth, and postcode, and EMMA checks these against the NHS national database in real time. If the patient is successfully verified, their NHS number is returned and included in the submission. If verification is not completed, EMMA still captures the patient's request and submits it to your team, but without the NHS-verified details attached."
Example wording on Caller ID:
"The Caller ID feature is optional and uses your patient list to speed up the initial identification step by recognising the caller's phone number before the call begins. PDS verification still runs on every call regardless of Caller ID. If you would prefer not to upload a patient list, EMMA will still operate normally using live PDS verification only."
Common Mistakes
- Telling a practice that Caller ID replaces PDS verification. It does not. PDS runs on every call.
- Telling a practice they must upload a patient list to use EMMA. They do not. Caller ID is optional.
- Not explaining that an NHS number missing from an Accurx submission indicates the patient was not PDS-verified, rather than a system fault.
- Confusing Patient ID (V12 feature about when in the call patient details are captured) with Caller ID (phone number pre-match feature).
- Not being aware that unregistered patients are handled by EMMA and that this is expected NHS-required behaviour.
Escalation Guidance
Escalate to engineering if:
- PDS verification is consistently failing for patients who are confirmed registered at the surgery and providing correct details
- NHS numbers are missing from Accurx submissions for patients who should be PDS-verified after February 2026
- Patient ID is not collecting patient details at the start of the call on a V12 surgery
- The PDS lookup is returning incorrect patient information
When escalating, always include:
- Surgery name and ODS code
- Consultation tool used
- Affected call IDs and timestamps
- Description of what is happening versus what is expected
- Whether the surgery has Caller ID enabled
- Whether the affected patients are confirmed registered at the surgery
Last Reviewed: May 2026 Owner: Support and Customer Success