diff --git a/common/build.gradle b/common/build.gradle
index 0e8a07620..b471069b6 100644
--- a/common/build.gradle
+++ b/common/build.gradle
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ repositories {
 }
 
 dependencies {
-    api 'ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:hapi-fhir-structures-dstu3:8.0.0'
+    api 'ca.uhn.hapi.fhir:hapi-fhir-structures-dstu3:8.4.0'
     api 'org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-starter-jdbc'
     api 'org.springframework.boot:spring-boot-starter-actuator'
     api 'org.springframework:spring-web'
diff --git a/gp2gp-translator/src/main/java/uk/nhs/adaptors/pss/translator/service/SkeletonProcessingService.java b/gp2gp-translator/src/main/java/uk/nhs/adaptors/pss/translator/service/SkeletonProcessingService.java
index deabc99d7..bb74a0481 100644
--- a/gp2gp-translator/src/main/java/uk/nhs/adaptors/pss/translator/service/SkeletonProcessingService.java
+++ b/gp2gp-translator/src/main/java/uk/nhs/adaptors/pss/translator/service/SkeletonProcessingService.java
@@ -72,7 +72,20 @@ private String normalizeSkeletonXml(String skeletonFileAsString) {
     }
 
     private boolean isEntireRcmrSkeleton(String normalizedSkeleton) {
-        return normalizedSkeleton != null && normalizedSkeleton.startsWith("<RCMR_IN030000UK06");
+        if (normalizedSkeleton == null || normalizedSkeleton.isBlank()) {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        try {
+            var skeletonDocument = xPathService.parseDocumentFromXml(normalizedSkeleton);
+            if (skeletonDocument == null) {
+                return false;
+            }
+            var root = skeletonDocument.getDocumentElement();
+            return root != null && "RCMR_IN030000UK06".equals(root.getLocalName());
+        } catch (SAXException e) {
+            return false;
+        }
     }
 
     private InboundMessage insertSkeletonIntoInboundMessagePayload(PatientAttachmentLog skeletonLog,
diff --git a/gp2gp-translator/src/test/java/uk/nhs/adaptors/pss/translator/service/SkeletonProcessingServiceTests.java b/gp2gp-translator/src/test/java/uk/nhs/adaptors/pss/translator/service/SkeletonProcessingServiceTests.java
index 6e7a1a45a..77c358184 100644
--- a/gp2gp-translator/src/test/java/uk/nhs/adaptors/pss/translator/service/SkeletonProcessingServiceTests.java
+++ b/gp2gp-translator/src/test/java/uk/nhs/adaptors/pss/translator/service/SkeletonProcessingServiceTests.java
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
 import org.mockito.Mock;
 import org.mockito.junit.jupiter.MockitoExtension;
 import org.w3c.dom.Document;
+import org.w3c.dom.Element;
 import org.w3c.dom.Node;
 import org.w3c.dom.NodeList;
 import org.xml.sax.SAXException;
@@ -158,6 +159,11 @@ void When_SkeletonAsWholeRCMRMessageHasLeadingWhitespace_Expect_InboundMessagePa
 
         when(attachmentHandlerService.getAttachment(any(), any())).thenReturn(skeletonMessage.getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8));
         when(xmlParseUtilService.getStringFromDocument(any())).thenReturn(readInboundMessagePayloadFromFile());
+        var document = org.mockito.Mockito.mock(Document.class);
+        var rootElement = org.mockito.Mockito.mock(Element.class);
+        when(xPathService.parseDocumentFromXml(any())).thenReturn(document);
+        when(document.getDocumentElement()).thenReturn(rootElement);
+        when(rootElement.getLocalName()).thenReturn("RCMR_IN030000UK06");
 
         var newInboundMessage =
             skeletonProcessingService.updateInboundMessageWithSkeleton(attachmentLog, inboundMessage, CONVERSATION_ID);
@@ -187,6 +193,12 @@ void When_IsEntireRcmrSkeletonCalledWithNonRcmrPayload_Expect_ReturnsFalse() thr
         var method = SkeletonProcessingService.class.getDeclaredMethod("isEntireRcmrSkeleton", String.class);
         method.setAccessible(true);
 
+        var document = org.mockito.Mockito.mock(Document.class);
+        var rootElement = org.mockito.Mockito.mock(Element.class);
+        when(xPathService.parseDocumentFromXml(any())).thenReturn(document);
+        when(document.getDocumentElement()).thenReturn(rootElement);
+        when(rootElement.getLocalName()).thenReturn("MCCI_IN010000UK13");
+
         assertFalse((Boolean) method.invoke(skeletonProcessingService, "<MCCI_IN010000UK13>"));
     }
 
@@ -197,7 +209,14 @@ void When_NormalizeSkeletonXmlCalledWithXmlDeclaration_Expect_StripsDeclarationB
         var isRcmrMethod = SkeletonProcessingService.class.getDeclaredMethod("isEntireRcmrSkeleton", String.class);
         isRcmrMethod.setAccessible(true);
 
+        var document = org.mockito.Mockito.mock(Document.class);
+        var rootElement = org.mockito.Mockito.mock(Element.class);
         var xmlWithDeclaration = "<?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"UTF-8\"?>\n<RCMR_IN030000UK06>";
+
+        when(xPathService.parseDocumentFromXml(any())).thenReturn(document);
+        when(document.getDocumentElement()).thenReturn(rootElement);
+        when(rootElement.getLocalName()).thenReturn("RCMR_IN030000UK06");
+
         var normalized = (String) normalizeMethod.invoke(skeletonProcessingService, xmlWithDeclaration);
 
         assertTrue(normalized.startsWith("<RCMR_IN030000UK06"));
@@ -216,6 +235,11 @@ void When_SkeletonAsWholeRCMRMessageHasBomPrefix_Expect_InboundMessagePayloadIsN
 
         when(attachmentHandlerService.getAttachment(any(), any())).thenReturn(skeletonMessage.getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8));
         when(xmlParseUtilService.getStringFromDocument(any())).thenReturn(readInboundMessagePayloadFromFile());
+        var document = org.mockito.Mockito.mock(Document.class);
+        var rootElement = org.mockito.Mockito.mock(Element.class);
+        when(xPathService.parseDocumentFromXml(any())).thenReturn(document);
+        when(document.getDocumentElement()).thenReturn(rootElement);
+        when(rootElement.getLocalName()).thenReturn("RCMR_IN030000UK06");
 
         var newInboundMessage =
             skeletonProcessingService.updateInboundMessageWithSkeleton(attachmentLog, inboundMessage, CONVERSATION_ID);