Access to your medical records

Online Access Application Form Adult - KERS.pdf

Access to your medical records

The NHS wants to give people better ways to see their personal health information online. We know that people want to be able to access their health records. It can help you see test results faster. It also lets you read and review notes from your appointments in your own time.

We will be letting you see all the new information within your health record. If you are over 16 and have an online account, such as through the NHS App, NHS website, or other GP online services and apps, you will in the future be able to see all new information entered on your medical record. 

How do I gain access to my medical record

To gain access to your medical records online please complete the application form (attached or collect from our reception team) and drop off at the Surgery.

How do I register for online access?

If you are registering as a new patient then you will be asked if you would like access to our online services at the time you register.

If you are one of our existing patients please pop into the surgery with 2 pieces of identification. One will need to have your photograph on it, such as a driving licence or passport, the other proof of your address, such as a utility bill, issued within the past 6 months.

 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Due to a new process, you may be able to see that test results are back in your clinical record, but you will not be able to view these on-line until they have been reviewed by a clinician. Please kindly wait till they have been reviewed before considering any follow up appointments at the surgery.

Sharing Your Medical Record

Increasingly, patient medical data is shared e.g. between GP surgeries and District Nursing, in order to give clinicians access to the most up to date information when attending patients.

The systems we operate require that any sharing of medical information is consented to by patients beforehand. Patients must consent to sharing of the data held by a health provider out to other health providers and must also consent to which of the other providers can access their data.

e.g. it may be necessary to share data held in GP practices with district nurses but the local podiatry department would not need to see it to undertake their work. In this case, patients would allow the surgery to share their data, they would allow the district nurses to access it but they would not allow access by the podiatry department. In this way access to patient data is under patients' control and can be shared on a 'need to know' basis.

Emergency Care Summary

There is a Central NHS Computer System called the Emergency Care Summary (ECS). The Emergency Care Summary is meant to help emergency doctors and nurses help you when you contact them when the surgery is closed. It will contain information on your medications and allergies.

Your information will be extracted from practices such as ours and held securely on central NHS databases.   

As with all systems there are pros and cons to think about. When you speak to an emergency doctor you might overlook something that is important and if they have access to your medical record it might avoid mistakes or problems, although even then, you should be asked to give your consent each time a member of NHS Staff wishes to access your record, unless you are medically unable to do so.

On the other hand, you may have strong views about sharing your personal information and wish to keep your information at the level of this practice. If you don’t want an Emergency Care Summary to be made for you, tell your GP surgery. Don’t forget that if you do have an Emergency Care Summary, you will be asked if staff can look at it every time they need to. You don’t have to agree to this.