Prospective record data change
In line with the NHS Long Term Plan and ‘Data Saves Lives’ Data Strategy, the NHS is working to make it easier for patients to digitally access their future health information in their general practice records. Better access to health information enables patients to become partners in managing their health. Evidence has shown that this increases patients’ feelings of autonomy and reduces the need for patients to contact general practice
From 30th November 2022, patients with an online account will automatically get access to their full prospective GP health record, including free text, letters and documents. Patients will see new information once it is entered, or filed, onto their record in the clinical system
Understanding your records
Your records are written to help medical staff look after you and so in some cases, you may not understand everything you see. If you find anything difficult to understand, as well as talking to your doctor or nurse, you can go to the NHS Choices website by using this link www.nhs.uk. NHS Choices is the NHS website for patients where you can look for information on illnesses, improving health and find NHS services in your local area.
Other websites frequently used to search for information on illnesses and test results are Patient – www.patient.info and Lab Test Online UK – www.labtestsonline.org.uk. Although these are not owned or checked by the NHS, other patients have found them useful.
A few things to think about
There are a few things you need to think about before registering for online record access. On very rare occasions:
•Your GP may not think it is in your best interest for you to look at your GP records online. If this happens, your GP will discuss their reasons with you. It is up to your GP to decide if you should be allowed access to your online records.
•You may see your test results before your doctor has spoken to you about them. This may be when you cannot contact your surgery, or when your surgery is closed. This means you will need to wait until an appointment is available to talk to your doctor.
•Information in your GP record might need correcting. If you find something you think is not correct, you should contact your surgery. The staff will be able to answer your questions and set things right when needed. Please bear in mind that you cannot change the record yourself.
•There may be information in your GP records that you did not know was there or that you had forgotten about, such as an illness or an upsetting incident. If you see anything you did not know about that worries you, please speak to your surgery and they will discuss this with you.
•If you see someone else’s information in your record, please log out immediately and let your surgery know as soon as possible.
Amendment of factual inaccuracies
Health and care organisations make every effort to keep your records accurate. However, occasionally information may need to be amended about you or your care.
If you think that the health or care information in your records is factually inaccurate, you have a legal right to ask for your records to be amended. For instance, you can ask for your home address to be changed because you moved house.
Sometimes, you may disagree with information written in your record, but the information could still be factually correct. For example, you may disagree with a diagnosis you were given in the past. Whilst you can still ask the organisation to amend the entry that you feel is inaccurate, an organisation should not change it if the health and care professional believes it is factually correct. There are exceptions to this, for example, where there is a court order.
If you believe there is a clinically factual inaccuracy on your records, please complete the form below. Please understand queries of these nature can take time to resolve. The practice often has to review your historic paper records which is a time-consuming piece of work. Please also be aware there are situations where historic information is simply unobtainable.
The practice is also legally limited in what can be amended on your records. Where the health and care professional states that the record is correct, amending the record would not normally be allowed. This is because it would affect the authenticity and integrity of the record
Please note we request the patient is the one who raises the query on their record. Due to GDPR law we are extremely limited what information can be discuss with a third party regarding a patient.
Please contact the surgery to request they send you a questionnaire to complete regarding querying an entry on your medical record