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How EMMA Identifies Patients on a Call

EMMA performs a live PDS (Personal Demographics Service) lookup on every call to verify the patient's identity. If Caller ID is also enabled, EMMA can recognise patients even faster using your uploaded patient list. This article explains how both processes work and what your team sees in the inbox.

Purpose of This Article

Understanding how EMMA identifies patients reassures practice managers and clinical staff that patient data is handled correctly and that submissions are linked to the right patient record. This article explains the process in plain language.

Main Content

What Is PDS?

The Personal Demographics Service (PDS) is the NHS national database of patient demographic information. It holds patient names, dates of birth, NHS numbers, addresses, and registered GP surgery details.

EMMA connects to PDS on every call to verify that the patient calling is registered at your surgery and to confirm their identity before their request is submitted. This is the same verification process used by other NHS digital services.

How PDS Verification Works

During every call, EMMA captures the patient's basic details — typically their name, date of birth, and postcode. She then performs a live lookup against the PDS to:

  • Confirm the patient is registered at your surgery
  • Match their details to a specific patient record
  • Retrieve their NHS number for inclusion in the submission

This happens automatically in the background during the call. The patient does not experience it as a separate step — EMMA collects the information naturally as part of the structured conversation.

For Accurx practices, PDS-verified patients display in the inbox as: Surname, First Name (NHS Number). This makes patient identification faster for your clinical team without needing to cross-reference separate fields.

What Is Caller ID?

Caller ID is an optional enhancement that allows EMMA to recognise a patient from their phone number before the conversation begins. It uses the patient list uploaded during onboarding to match the incoming phone number to a known patient record.

When Caller ID is active:

  • EMMA can identify the patient at the start of the call, before any details are given
  • The patient moves through the conversation more quickly as some identification steps are already complete
  • PDS verification still runs in the background to confirm the match

Caller ID is initialised using the one-time patient list export completed during onboarding. After go-live, all new patients are handled through live PDS validation automatically. Caller ID does not need to be updated as your patient list changes.

Caller ID is optional. If your practice chose not to submit a patient list during onboarding, EMMA uses live PDS validation only, which works equally well — it may simply take a moment longer for the patient to provide their details.

What Happens When a Patient Cannot Be Verified

Not every caller can be matched to a PDS record. This may happen because:

  • The patient is not registered at your surgery
  • The patient is calling from a number not associated with their record
  • The patient provides incorrect or incomplete details
  • The patient is a new registrant not yet on PDS

If EMMA cannot verify a patient, she can still capture their request as an administrative submission. The submission will arrive in your inbox without a PDS-verified patient match. Your team can follow up manually if needed.

The submission format in the inbox will reflect the unverified status. Your team can use the information captured to identify the patient manually if required.

What Your Team Sees in the Inbox

For PDS-verified patients:

  • Submissions include the patient's confirmed name, date of birth, and NHS number
  • For Accurx practices, the patient displays as: Surname, First Name (NHS Number)
  • The submission is linked to the verified patient record

For non-PDS-verified patients:

  • Submissions include the information captured during the call
  • The NHS number may not be present
  • Your team may need to identify the patient manually before actioning the request

Step-by-Step Instructions

No steps are required from your practice team. PDS verification runs automatically on every call. Caller ID, if enabled, also operates automatically.

If you want to enable Caller ID and have not yet submitted your patient list, see:

  • How to Export Your Patient List from EMIS Web (article 1.11)
  • How to Export Your Patient List from SystmOne (article 1.12)

Troubleshooting

A submission arrived without an NHS number. This means the patient could not be PDS verified during the call. This may be because they provided incorrect details, are not registered at your surgery, or are a new registrant. Review the submission details and locate the patient manually if needed.

A patient says EMMA asked them to repeat their details several times. This can happen when PDS verification takes additional attempts to match the patient — for example, if the patient gives an incorrect postcode or date of birth. EMMA will ask the patient to repeat or clarify their details before proceeding. If this is happening frequently for a specific patient, check whether their details on PDS are up to date.

A patient calling from a mobile number is being asked to provide their details even though Caller ID should recognise them. Caller ID matches patients by their registered phone number. If the patient is calling from a different number — a work phone, a borrowed phone, or a number not on their record — they will not be recognised by Caller ID and will need to provide their details as normal.

Submissions are arriving without NHS numbers even for long-standing patients. This may indicate a PDS connectivity issue. Contact support@quantumloopai.com with details of the affected calls so the team can investigate.

FAQs

Does EMMA access the patient's full medical record? No. EMMA connects to PDS for demographic verification only: name, date of birth, address, NHS number, and registered GP surgery. EMMA does not access clinical records, medication lists, or any other information held in your practice's clinical system.

What happens if PDS is temporarily unavailable? If PDS is unavailable during a call, EMMA will still attempt to capture the patient's request. The submission may arrive without full verification. QuantumLoopAI monitors PDS connectivity and will alert you if there is a prolonged service issue.

Does every call use PDS, even if Caller ID is enabled? Yes. PDS verification runs on every call regardless of whether Caller ID is active. Caller ID speeds up the initial identification step, but PDS always performs the final verification before submission.

Can a patient opt out of PDS verification? No. PDS verification is a required part of EMMA's submission process. It ensures patient requests are matched to the correct record and is consistent with how other NHS digital services handle patient identity.

Is PDS data shared with anyone outside of QuantumLoopAI? No. PDS data is used solely for patient identification during the call and is handled under QuantumLoopAI's NHS-approved data governance framework. It is not shared with third parties.

What is the difference between Caller ID and PDS verification? Caller ID matches the patient's incoming phone number to a known patient record at the start of the call. PDS verification confirms the patient's identity against the NHS national database during the call. Both contribute to accurate patient identification. PDS is always active, Caller ID is optional.