To think the NHS is far too secretive about our health records?

whyisthissodifficultffs · 2026-09-19T19:16:58+00:00

I’m trying to access my records as part of a complaint I’m considering making. I want to access them before making the complaint. I have our trust’s hospital connected app (it’s called my chart). I have submitted a request through there. Last night it bounced back saying I needed to provide certified ID, and a signed subject access request form. Now, I understand that these are confidential records. However, I have verified my ID to sign up to the app. I’ve submitted my request through the app. Why do they make things so difficult?! The entire thing has really annoyed me, to be honest. It’s my medical information and I feel like it’s being held hostage from me. I have a right to access this. AIBU to think they need to start being more open?

Icantbebothered · 19/09/2026 20:19

Submit a SAR (subject access request) directly to the hospital, they are legally obliged to respond

Original poster

whyisthissodifficultffs · 19/09/2026 20:20

Icantbebothered · 19/09/2026 20:19

Submit a SAR (subject access request) directly to the hospital, they are legally obliged to respond

That’s what I’ve got to do now. But I have already requested them, through the app they told every patient to download. Why do I now need to provide certified ID?!

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ProfessionalTeaDrinker · 19/09/2026 20:22

So you'd be happy for them to just hand out medical records to anyone with no proof of ID and no signed consent? You can't possibly see why that might be a bad idea?

Original poster

whyisthissodifficultffs · 19/09/2026 20:23

ProfessionalTeaDrinker · 19/09/2026 20:22

So you'd be happy for them to just hand out medical records to anyone with no proof of ID and no signed consent? You can't possibly see why that might be a bad idea?

I’d rather they trusted the processes that they have put in place with their app, which already provides some of my medical information, and just allow me to access my records using that app.

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Original poster

whyisthissodifficultffs · 19/09/2026 20:27

I also don’t think I should have to do a SAR to access information about my own health. That’s crazy to me. Things like my radiology reports and imaging should be available to me as a matter of course - it’s data about my own health! Why are they so restrictive in this? If they’re happy for me to receive letters to that app they should also be happy to put that sort of information on there.

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ProfessionalTeaDrinker · 19/09/2026 20:28

Well it's data protection. You can't just say you are signed in on an app so it's fine. I actually don't think we should be able to access as much as we can via the app anyway ( mainly because of vulnerable people not being able to access help if they are being monitored etc) so I definitely think accessing full records needs full consent and ID

LIZS · 19/09/2026 20:29

A DSAR is separate to your access via the app and more comprehensive. They will include scans of any paper records, scans/xrays which may not yet have been digitised.

Original poster

whyisthissodifficultffs · 19/09/2026 20:29

ProfessionalTeaDrinker · 19/09/2026 20:28

Well it's data protection. You can't just say you are signed in on an app so it's fine. I actually don't think we should be able to access as much as we can via the app anyway ( mainly because of vulnerable people not being able to access help if they are being monitored etc) so I definitely think accessing full records needs full consent and ID

If they don’t trust the processes for their app then it needs to be the case that nothing is available on there. Not some and not everything.

I think in general they make it impossible to access anything related to your health. That’s wrong. In 2026 it should be easier to access information to get a second opinion

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Original poster

whyisthissodifficultffs · 19/09/2026 20:29

LIZS · 19/09/2026 20:29

A DSAR is separate to your access via the app and more comprehensive. They will include scans of any paper records, scans/xrays which may not yet have been digitised.

Everything is now digital in our trust, so in my view if it’s digital it should be accessible on the app.

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bigboykitty · 19/09/2026 20:31

It's a legal requirement. If you save your password to your NHS app and someone requests your records without your knowledge, then you'll really complain.

BishBashBoshDumpling · 19/09/2026 20:32

YANBU but the NHS would probably he sued into collapse if everyone could access their own records easily 🥴🥴🥴

LIZS · 19/09/2026 20:34

whyisthissodifficultffs · 19/09/2026 20:29

Everything is now digital in our trust, so in my view if it’s digital it should be accessible on the app.

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It might be now but they won’t have necessarily gone back historically. Some records are made on paper too, for example dh had an A and E admission in 2020 and they still had handwritten notes in addition to digital records, although that has since changed.

ProfessionalTeaDrinker · 19/09/2026 20:34

whyisthissodifficultffs · 19/09/2026 20:29

If they don’t trust the processes for their app then it needs to be the case that nothing is available on there. Not some and not everything.

I think in general they make it impossible to access anything related to your health. That’s wrong. In 2026 it should be easier to access information to get a second opinion

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If you are getting a second opinion from within the same trust, they can usually access all the records anyway. If you are going out of area or to a different provider then they could request anything they need but often prefer to perform their own tests. If your second opinion is private then you can request them but it's not guaranteed you'll get them and you may have to pay for the tests.

Original poster

whyisthissodifficultffs · 19/09/2026 20:35

bigboykitty · 19/09/2026 20:31

It's a legal requirement. If you save your password to your NHS app and someone requests your records without your knowledge, then you'll really complain.

And how would they do that when my login is my face?

It’s a farce. What I need to find out is really quite urgent. I’m expected to wait 28 days. That’s unacceptable! To access my own personal information

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Original poster

whyisthissodifficultffs · 19/09/2026 20:35

ProfessionalTeaDrinker · 19/09/2026 20:34

If you are getting a second opinion from within the same trust, they can usually access all the records anyway. If you are going out of area or to a different provider then they could request anything they need but often prefer to perform their own tests. If your second opinion is private then you can request them but it's not guaranteed you'll get them and you may have to pay for the tests.

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I need to access my information to determine which way I want to go.

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Kingdomofsleep · 19/09/2026 20:36

I'm with you op. A full SAR is more comprehensive than what you're wanting, anyway, as it'd include every little note and memo they have about you, right down to nurses jotting "11pm, patient xyz was grumpy about being waken for obs".

All you want is the diagnoses and scan results etc. By not making these readily accessible, they're creating more work for themselves.

ThatLoudCat · 19/09/2026 20:37

Wow, I didn't know it was supposed to be that hard. Maybe my GP dropped the ball because I just emailed the practice and they emailed my records back to me.

Original poster

whyisthissodifficultffs · 19/09/2026 20:38

Kingdomofsleep · 19/09/2026 20:36

I'm with you op. A full SAR is more comprehensive than what you're wanting, anyway, as it'd include every little note and memo they have about you, right down to nurses jotting "11pm, patient xyz was grumpy about being waken for obs".

All you want is the diagnoses and scan results etc. By not making these readily accessible, they're creating more work for themselves.

Exactly!! I think things like reports and imaging should be made available asap. It’s literally our own data. If they’re fine to send letters to the app there’s no reason for them to hide this. I don’t want every little note. I just want to be able to reconcile what I was told with what’s actually happened - so I can decide whether I’d like to make a PALS complaint or whether I go for another opinion.

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MigGirl · 19/09/2026 20:44

That's odd, one of my local hospitals use my Chart and I can acces all my scans and letters and notes they have made. (don't get me started on how different hospitals use different systems though)

Original poster

whyisthissodifficultffs · 19/09/2026 20:47

MigGirl · 19/09/2026 20:44

That's odd, one of my local hospitals use my Chart and I can acces all my scans and letters and notes they have made. (don't get me started on how different hospitals use different systems though)

Argh how? I’ve been trying for ages now. I can’t get anything beyond some blood tests I had 12 months ago!

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Catza · 19/09/2026 20:52

whyisthissodifficultffs · 19/09/2026 20:29

If they don’t trust the processes for their app then it needs to be the case that nothing is available on there. Not some and not everything.

I think in general they make it impossible to access anything related to your health. That’s wrong. In 2026 it should be easier to access information to get a second opinion

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It's not Impossible. It's accessible to you with the proof of ID and signed consent. The fact that you don't want to do it doesn't make it impossible.
I work for the NHS and I also think that some things are unnecessarily complicated but we are going by privacy laws and information governance. We are not just making rules up to annoy you and give ourselves more admin work.

Original poster

whyisthissodifficultffs · 19/09/2026 20:56

Catza · 19/09/2026 20:52

It's not Impossible. It's accessible to you with the proof of ID and signed consent. The fact that you don't want to do it doesn't make it impossible.
I work for the NHS and I also think that some things are unnecessarily complicated but we are going by privacy laws and information governance. We are not just making rules up to annoy you and give ourselves more admin work.

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It’s unnecessary when I have already submitted the request.

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Anyahyacinth · 19/09/2026 21:01

whyisthissodifficultffs · 19/09/2026 20:27

I also don’t think I should have to do a SAR to access information about my own health. That’s crazy to me. Things like my radiology reports and imaging should be available to me as a matter of course - it’s data about my own health! Why are they so restrictive in this? If they’re happy for me to receive letters to that app they should also be happy to put that sort of information on there.

That (imaging) data is often supplied on CDs.

The NHS has a legal framework to follow for access to medical records...it's different to app data.

Original poster

whyisthissodifficultffs · 19/09/2026 21:02

Anyahyacinth · 19/09/2026 21:01

That (imaging) data is often supplied on CDs.

The NHS has a legal framework to follow for access to medical records...it's different to app data.

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Again. Everything in my trust is now digital.

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Catza · 19/09/2026 21:06

whyisthissodifficultffs · 19/09/2026 20:56

It’s unnecessary when I have already submitted the request.

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So write to your MP and ask them to challenge the legislation. I don't know what else to tell you as we don't make up those rules. The government does and we must ask for an ID if request is done remotely (such as via the app). I imagine, not everyone uses their face to unlock the app so there is no way we can verify that you do, is there? I unlock mine with a fingerprint and anyone could have registered their fingerprint using my log in and password.