Passports in the shared inbox
Your policy requires ID and a photo for each patient and partner. Patients email a passport scan to the clinic's general address. The partner forgets. At the first appointment, reception photocopies a driving licence and takes a photo on a tablet. Someone saves the files to the patient's record, if they remember, with whatever name they choose.
Weeks later, a nurse checking identity before a procedure cannot find the partner's photo.
Why ID collection is messy
- Documents arrive by email, which is a poor place for sensitive files.
- Partners are asked separately and often forget.
- Files are saved by hand with inconsistent names.
- Nobody can see which patients are missing ID or photos.
- Copies linger in inboxes and downloads folders.
Identity matters at many points in fertility treatment, not only at registration. Staff confirm who is in front of them before procedures and when handling stored material, and those checks rely on the photos and documents on file. If the record is incomplete, the check becomes slower and more stressful for everyone, including the patient.
What it costs
Sensitive documents sitting in email are a data protection concern. Missing ID found late holds up appointments. Staff time goes on saving and searching for files.
| Step | Current approach | Upload and check flow |
|---|---|---|
| Collect ID | Email or photocopy | Secure upload link per person |
| Photo | Tablet photo saved by hand | Captured on upload or at reception into the record |
| Check | Informal | Staff check recorded with name and date |
| Status | Unknown | Listed per patient and partner |
| Copies in email | Remain indefinitely | Not needed |
Reception also loses time at first appointments. Photocopying documents, taking photos and filing them while a patient waits makes the first visit feel administrative at a moment when people are often nervous, and it holds up the rest of the clinic list.
How we build it
- Each patient and partner receives their own secure upload link at registration.
- They upload the ID documents your policy requires and a photo, from their phone.
- Files are stored against the right person in your clinic management system or a secure store linked to it.
- A staff member checks each upload against your policy and records the check. The system does not verify identity by itself unless you choose an identity verification service and your policy allows it.
- Reception can capture photos directly into the record during a visit.
- A list shows patients and partners with ID outstanding before their next key appointment, and reminders go out.
Uploads from phones are checked for obvious problems before they are accepted, such as a blurred image or the wrong file type, so the patient can retake it straight away rather than being asked again days later. Every upload and every staff check is logged, which gives you a record of who handled each document and when.
After the change
ID and photos are in the record before they are needed, with a clear check recorded. Inboxes no longer hold passport scans. Staff can see at once who is missing what.
Partners are no longer the gap. Each partner receives their own link and reminders, so their documents arrive on the same footing as the patient's. When staff check identity before a procedure, the photo is on the record where they expect it.
Is this your situation?
- Patients email ID documents to the clinic.
- Partner ID is often missing.
- Photos are saved by hand from a tablet.
- Staff search for ID files before procedures.
- You cannot list everyone with ID outstanding.