EARL and CJSM: One System for Safer Justice Referrals

We’re pleased to share that EARL now connects directly with the Criminal Justice Secure Mail (CJSM) system. This means NHS clinicians can securely and seamlessly communicate with justice and safeguarding partners—without leaving the EARL platform.

What is CJSM—and why does it matter?

CJSM is the UK’s official secure email network for the justice sector. It’s trusted by police, probation, courts, and custody healthcare teams for sharing sensitive information, including clinical updates and safeguarding alerts. According to the Ministry of Justice, CJSM ensures end-to-end encryption and is a vital part of the UK government’s digital justice infrastructure. Historically, NHS professionals engaging with safeguarding or forensic care often had to switch between NHSmail, CJSM, and internal IT systems—causing friction, delays, and even lost communications. Those days are now behind us. EARL’s integration with CJSM brings everything into one trusted place, saving time and reducing cognitive load.

How EARL makes justice referrals easier

With CJSM now embedded into the EARL interface, clinicians can:

Send secure, CJSM-compliant messages directly from the referral screen
Be automatically routed through CJSM when legal or safeguarding guidance requires it
View message delivery receipts, read status, and a full audit trail for compliance
Communicate across agencies—from police to safeguarding boards—without logging into separate systems

Everything happens inside EARL, and messages are sent from the Trust itself—not a personal or generic inbox. This gives both clinicians and recipients confidence that referrals are appropriate, accountable, and secure.

Why this matters for safeguarding and governance

Multi-agency working is essential for protecting vulnerable patients—yet it’s often undermined by digital fragmentation. The integration of CJSM helps address several key priorities in the NHS Safeguarding Accountability and Assurance Framework, especially around “timely information sharing” and “clarity of roles in joint working.” Information governance (IG) is also simplified. Rather than requiring clinicians to manually switch to CJSM or guess which route to use, EARL enforces correct usage with built-in intelligence. IG leads can be confident that secure communications are used appropriately—and consistently—across the Trust.

Real-world scenarios: what this looks like in practice

Here are just a few examples where EARL’s CJSM integration is already helping NHS teams:

Custody healthcare: Sharing a mental health risk assessment with police custody staff before transfer to court
Safeguarding team: Referring a vulnerable adult to a multi-agency risk assessment conference (MARAC) with full auditability
ED matron: Following up a safeguarding concern with probation services using secure, trackable messaging

In each case, the referral is sent from the same system used for internal processes—no duplicate data entry, no delay, and no confusion about which platform to use.

Built for frontline realities

NHS clinicians don’t have time for multiple logins, conflicting workflows, or fragmented comms channels. EARL’s core mission is to bring clarity, speed, and safety to patient referrals. By embedding CJSM, we’re extending that mission to the crucial intersection of health, justice, and safeguarding. Importantly, EARL was created by senior NHS clinicians who understand the pressure points and risks involved in these cases. The platform reflects their insight and experience—ensuring that every referral, every message, and every contact is clinically appropriate and digitally secure.

Live across all EARL-enabled Trusts

This new functionality is already active for all NHS Trusts currently using EARL. No additional configuration or training is required. As with all EARL features, the integration “just works”—behind the scenes—so clinicians can stay focused on patients, not processes. EARL continues to evolve in response to frontline needs, regulatory guidance, and user feedback. The addition of CJSM is part of a broader commitment to supporting safe, coordinated care across organisational boundaries.

Want to know more?

If you’d like to understand how CJSM works within EARL, how messages are logged, or how to engage your safeguarding lead, our team is happy to help. Simply email [email protected] and we’ll get you connected to a product specialist. Together, we can ensure that justice-related referrals are not just made—but made well, made securely, and made in time.

Secure and Seamless: EARL Now Linked with CJSM