Sadly, it will not.

However, you can get support for such things that egress offers and more from Thunderbird via plugins.

A few examples include: Plugins:

Enigmail -- Uses a GPG key to clear-sign OR encrypt emails and allows for decrypting incoming messages Sensitivity Headers -- Allows for modifying the sent and highlights incoming emails with highlighted headers that let you know and the recipient know 'This is sensitive data, a message at a very quick glance. PrivaConf -- Disables MOST of the insecure options in an email that can lead to breaches and leakage and enables or tightens controls on privacy-friendly settings.

Thunderbird also has support for using a Master Password as well as using PEM/certificate locking or transfers on documents, which in my personal opinion allows more flexibility and security in an email client than most commercial secure your stuff services/software.

Many thanks for your prompt response Corey - another query please, based on your answer. If I use one of the two suggestions: (a) do I have to pay to put this stuff on to my computer (b) if an outside party is using egress, and sends me an encrypted email, then am I right in saying I would not be able to open it? (c) my electronic dictation is sent as a DSS file (Olympus Professional Transcription) - will that also come through encrypted? Because I have a separate email account (gmail) for just my electronic dictation tapes, which I then forward into the DSS software "filing cabinet" under whichever client is sending it, and then open it as usual to start typing. Will this suffer as well? Many thanks again for your help Regards Fiona

Looking at the Egress web site there is virtually no detailed information how this thing works. I can only guess that it's some sort of encryption proxy, working basically independent from the actual email client. But again, that's just speculation. Therefore it's impossible to say whether this works with Thunderbird or not.

I suppose that won't help you a lot, Thunderbird has built-in email encryption for S/MIME. With that no 3rd party app would be needed. All you'd need is an email certificate for yourself, as well as a certificate from your correspondents. But I guess the chance finding someone at Harley Street Consultants to discuss this are slim.

the most technologically illiterate person on the planet

I think the requirement to encrypt sensible patient data is very reasonable. When using encryption it requires some basic understanding of the underlying concept. Unfortunately still today setting this up and using it is not as straight forward as it should be (depending on your level of knowledge). I suppose this is the reason why they chose Egress, which presumably hides the complexity from the user. If you want to discuss encryption alternatives with them you'll have no choice than becoming a less technologically illiterate person.

@zazzycat,

To assume DSS is the Defense Security Services, using those WOULD BE fully DSS compliant, I deal with these sorts of crazy security tools daily.

a) These are free, minus the few seconds it takes to download the addon from the addons section in Thunderbird and in the case of Enigmail the few moments to enable it and configure the key(s)/certificates (as christ1 mentioned) as needed.

b) So long as you both are using the same certificate or keys (more specifically the public part of the other parties' key and your private for re-encrypting outbound material and decrypting that meant for you.

c) Thunderbird has Gmail support, heck I have 4 Gmail accounts in Thunderbird myself and via these plugins, you'd still be able to use that Gmail account as before without a need for egress with at much or more security and confidentiality of data.