De-registered patient and medical records

[Pseudonym99]

If I am no longer registered at a GP practice, where would my medical records be kept?

[Dominithecat]

In storage for 21 years. They can be brought back from storage if you need them or rather the Dr needs them. That's for paper records, not sure about computerised records, but I think same. They are printed and sent to storage, whilst being deleted from computer/spine. How long that process takes is a mystery to me, up to a year I think.

[Pseudonym99]

Where / who would store them?

[Pseudonym99]

And they would truly be deleted from the Spine? So no sharing of records / care.data? What about my demographic information - if I have been deleted from the Spine in theory I could then freshly register with the NHS again, but they will then have only information that I give them?

[Idefix]

OP in the uk all GP medical records are sent to central records where they can be electronically requested from your new GP surgery.

[tribpot]

Being on the Spine isn't dependent on being registered at a GP - your NHS # should stay with you for life.

[Idefix]

When you leave a GP practice a print off or a cd of your medical records during you time with the practice are added to your paper notes. when you join your new practice your notes are summarised in time on to the practices computer system.

Things do go astray or get detached from time to time and your GP can request an investigation into this .

[Pseudonym99]

I don't care about things going astray. I just don't want records about me floating around between different locations. So if I deregister, can I then reregister somewhere else with a clean slate, and hence in control?

[Hellmouth]

They're not going to be floating around, they're going to be held somewhere within the NHS. As others have said, it's all tied to your NHS number, which you will have for life. i'm not sure why you would not want them to have your medical history on record. . .

[Hellmouth]

They're not going to be floating around, they're going to be held somewhere within the NHS. As others have said, it's all tied to your NHS number, which you will have for life. i'm not sure why you would not want them to have your medical history on record. . .

[Fallonjamie]

What do you mean register somewhere else with a clean slate?

[tribpot]

Basically you want to create a second identity with the NHS, not linked to the first? Because this presents a clinical risk, the NHS will be doing its best to not have this happen.

[badg3r]

In England they are kept by the local authority of the last GP you were registered with. I tried to get a copy of mine in 2010 for about six months, it was bizarrely only a paper copy and I called countless times to be told it was in progress etc but never actually got them. In the end I got the info I needed another way and they miraculously reappeared (electronic version) when I joined another GP. Sorry, probably not what you want to hear but fingers crossed your LA will be a bit more proactive than mine. In reality I just think nobody could be bothered to go and look for them!

[Wolfiefan]

Are you worried about a new GP seeing something on your old records? Is this why you have deregistered?

[NotCitrus]

I take it there are things on your record that are inaccurate or misleading or you feel judged about OP?

If there are inaccuracies you should be able to have those amended or deleted under the DPA which requires records to be accurate. If however it's a matter of medical differences of opinion, then the record will stand but the summary on the computer should only have the latest most relevant information.

In practice it can take some months for records to get to a new GP and paper ones may only get looked at years later if at all, so unlikely to be an issue. In any case any new doctor seeing you should be professional and make up their own mind about you.

[Idefix]

I think you could only do this with a private GP maybe? Your records are not freely available and are only sent to gps who request them. They are treated (should) with total respect to your confidentiality.

i summarise medical records as part of my role and do understand that anxiety that some people might feel about there past history being known but it known only in the context of helping clinicians to provide the best care for the patient.

[Pseudonym99]

It doesn't matter why I want to do it. That is my choice, for my reasons. But yes, I would like to start a new record which is not linked to my existing history. Do you need to be able to prove my identity to register with a GP? I suppose I could say I've been born and lived abroad, but am now resident in this country

[Pseudonym99]

There is nothing to hide or anything to be ashamed of. I just want to be in control, as consent no longer seems to be of any concern to the NHS. The only way to control information about me is to limit or not provide that information in the first place.

[Wolfiefan]

You clearly have your reasons but they could lead to your new GP not having vital information in treating you. If anything is disputed or inaccurate then I would take the advice of notcitrus.

[Wolfiefan]

What do you mean about consent?

[tribpot]

Well, you could try to make the same case to the tax man and argue that you want a new NI number so that your old records aren't linked to your new ones, but you won't get very far with that. So I'm not sure it strictly is your choice in the way that you imagine. (Creating a new identity, I mean - you might have more luck redacting your records if you can prove they're not clinically relevant?).

To my knowledge it's common now to have to produce evidence of identity when you register with a GP. However, you could claim not to have had prior contact with the NHS and this may allow you to obtain a second NHS number, but if you continue to use NHS services, your records may end up being linked together at some point. It would be better to address the problem directly if there are records which you don't want to be available, rather than trying to game the system.

[Idefix]

Yes you do need to have proof of identity/address to join at our practice. I don't think it would be possible to just say you came from abroad. If you are female by birth they will also request your smear history via openexeter an NHS tool that stores all your smear history even if you are a defaulter. This is also linked to your NHS number.

Sorry for all the typos and poor spelling, dog sleeping on me...

[lljkk]

They have a duty of care to link your history to your present.

Even if you went all private the private GP would have a duty of care to try to get you to fully disclose your history.

[NerrSnerr]

You won't be able to start with a clean slate without your old records. They will your old practice and request your notes. If it was possible to just create a new persona and a 'clean slate' I would be able to go to my current GP and get prescribed a load of meds and go to a new surgery tomorrow and be prescribed exactly the same with no one knowing- hugely risky (and lucrative to people wanting to sell medication!!)

[Fallonjamie]

Your records are linked to your NHS number so no you can't just erase/seperate from your medical history.

It's dangerous for a start. And in my experience there are very few non-dodgy reasons for wanting to.

[NerrSnerr]

And when I registered with my last GP they were hugely strict. I had no ID with my name on as I had just changed it and sent my marriage cert elsewhere and they wouldn't register me.