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.

You can choose whether your confidential patient information is used for research and planning. To find out more visit nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters.

You do not need to do anything if you are happy about how your confidential patient information is used. You can change your choice at any time.How patients can Opt-Out

How data in your GP record is used, and how you can control the use.

Your data is used in broadly two different ways:

1.Primary Use- using your data to provide direct care to you.

2. Secondary Use- To allow for planning and research to be done.

Your type 2 opt-out only applied to confidential patient information being shared by NHS Digital.

The Summary Care Record is meant to help emergency doctors and nurses help you when you contact them when the surgery is closed. Initially, it will contain just your medications and allergies. Staff who work in the NHS will be able to access it along with information from hospitals, out of hours services, and specialists letters that may be added as well. Your information will be extracted from practices such as ours and held on central NHS databases.   

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. Connecting for Health (CfH), the government agency responsible for the Summary Care Record have agreed with doctors’ leaders that new patients registering with this practice should be able to decide whether or not their information is uploaded to the Central NHS Computer System.

For existing patients it is different in that it is assumed that you want your record uploaded to the Central NHS Computer System unless you actively opt out.

Patient Information

 This surgery now uses eMR, provided by Medidata Exchange, to process your Subject to Access Request, also known as a “SAR”. You will be asked to sign a consent form, allowing us to do this. We will also ask you for an email address and mobile number so that you can access your Patient Record securely on-line.

If you do not have an email address or mobile number you can provide family or a relative’s details, with their permission.

 How does on-line access work?

• When we have processed your SAR you will be sent an email notification with a link to access your record.

Please note: This email may land in your “junk” email so you will need to click and drag it over to your “inbox” for the link to work.

• Click the link and follow the on-screen instructions.
• You will be asked to request an access code which will be sent by text message to your mobile phone. This is for security purposes.
• Once you enter the code- you will be able to view, print or download a copy of your medical record. You can also authorise a 3^rd party, for example a Solicitor to access this information.

 Can the surgery send it directly to the Solicitor?

Under new regulations, we are obliged to send the Patient record to you, as it is your personal information. It is then your choice with whom you would like to share this information.

If you have any difficulties accessing your record, please contact MediData Exchange using this email: norfyus@med2data.com.

All GP surgeries are required to give all patients in England online access to new information as it is added to their GP health record.

Patients with online accounts, such as through the NHS App, should be able to read new entries, including free text, in their health record. This applies to future (prospective) record entries and not historic data.