GP Communicator (GPC)

GP Communicator has an interface with the familiar look of an Outlook email screen listing folders with mail on the left, and a message pane in the centre. If you use Vision on a hosted system, you have an EBXML account which you need to login to in order to access GP Communicator. Practices with their own server can access GPC on their server or an allocated GPC machine.

It manages all clinical transactions posted from Vision to delivery to the Health Authority or responsible agency (trading partners) and, in the opposite direction, the receipt of transactions from the Health Authority or pathology laboratory to the point where these are made available to Vision in a suitable format.

The destinations include Hospitals and Trusts, CCGs and HAs.

It also automatically handles the monthly QOF reports for the nGMS contract from Clinical Audit sent to QMAS.

Once the Configuration and Clinical Scheduler have been set up, you need to look at the Attention folder daily, which may contain any messages with errors. Error resolution is straightforward.

Download Manager connects and downloads upgrades and enhancements of Vision, known as DLMs or SIS (for non-functional upgrades) which are applied without user intervention. This also includes updates to drug and Read dictionaries. It is run as a timed overnight schedule, the time of which is set within the GPC software.

Mail Gateway is a separate icon on the desktop and should start automatically when Windows is loaded. It must be running for the scheduled processes of GPC to work. It performs all GPC functions including polling, sending and receiving, clinical interface etc.