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Original poster

To feel uncomfortable about friend (GP receptionist) looking through medical notes

37 replies

Monsteraobliqua · 30/01/2021 09:31

I have a recent friend, who is a receptionist at my GP. She wants to train as a nurse.

Her job at my GP predates our friendship. She called me the other day to rearrange an appointment and whilst on the phone, started looking through my notes, including some blood results I was waiting to discuss with the GP and said 'I'm just having a look af your bloods, everything is fine'.

AIBU to feel really uncomfortable about this? She has no training to tell me my bloods are fine, the test was not to check whether a level of something is simply low or high, they are so the GP can assess how adjust my medication. I have also had several health issues I don't want her knowing about, including some mental health related side effects of said meds and some contraceptive related issues. She had no reason to look at my notes, just the appointment needed changing.

I have actually just changed to a new GP as I know she sometimes discusses patients with the practice nurse as work experience and I don't want her discussing me. I also feel myself distancing myself from her as a friend.

One of the issues I mentioned is anxiety so I suppose I'm just wondering whether I am overreacting here.

OP posts:
AtlasPine · 30/01/2021 09:33

I think you are really. She is doing her job. If it greatly upsets you, then you could change surgeries but blood test abnormalities are highlighted so it’s easy for a non-doctor to see when there are none present. She probably thought she was reassuring you.

notdaddycool · 30/01/2021 09:34

The receptionist told me my bloods were fine and I didn’t need to see the doctor last week, she’s doing her job. If she’d kept going and said I see 3 years ago this and 5 years ago that then it works be inappropriate but this is fine.

FancySomeChips · 30/01/2021 09:36

I get it. My doctors is closing and the only one it has been suggested we move to is staffed by parents whose kids I teach- receptionists and doctors all have links with my school.
I want to move to one 5 mins further away but they are full. Currently looking for an alternative.
I don’t want them knowing everything about my medical history.

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Original poster
Monsteraobliqua · 30/01/2021 09:38

Sorry, total unintentional drip feed I should have made clearer but she has told me she looks through patient notes to see examples of management of other conditions. I think that's what I'm uncomfortable about. Obv I don't know whether she went further back with mine

OP posts:
user194729573 · 30/01/2021 09:38

She's a receptionist.

Looking at someone's records without a legitimate purpose is misconduct.

Receptionists only tell you that blood tests are "ok" if that's what they've been told to communicate - not based on interpreting results themselves.

smoothchange · 30/01/2021 09:38

We call the GP for blood results and the receptionist will either tell us they are fine, the doctor wants to see you or the doc has left a prescription (for something pre discussed with GP).

Your friend hadn't interpreted your results, the GP does that and leaves a note on your file.

Eeeeeeeeeeeek · 30/01/2021 09:39

To be honest this would bother me, I can't explain why, but it would. I think you can request your information to be blocked from certain people

user194729573 · 30/01/2021 09:39

@Monsteraobliqua

Sorry, total unintentional drip feed I should have made clearer but she has told me she looks through patient notes to see examples of management of other conditions. I think that's what I'm uncomfortable about. Obv I don't know whether she went further back with mine
That would be misconduct then.

Electronic medical records track who has accessed them. Her reason for accessing them is not acceptable.

smoothchange · 30/01/2021 09:41

@Monsteraobliqua

Sorry, total unintentional drip feed I should have made clearer but she has told me she looks through patient notes to see examples of management of other conditions. I think that's what I'm uncomfortable about. Obv I don't know whether she went further back with mine

Report that then. She isn't allowed to do this, it will be absolutely traceable if she has.

BarryTheKestrel · 30/01/2021 09:43

In a short stint covering a GP reception desk, the system they had would flag if results had been inputted and green meant ok to reassure all was ok, ask if follow up appointment wanted, red meant only for GP to discuss, advise appointment needed and book. Lots of people call and speak to the receptionist for test results and they aren't medical professionals but they are expected, as with everyone else, that confidentiality is key. If your friend isn't keeping confidentiality of patients, report her, otherwise it is her job to on occasion access your notes if necessary to do her job.

Original poster
Monsteraobliqua · 30/01/2021 09:44

Thanks all for your answers, much appreciated.

Your friend hadn't interpreted your results, the GP does that and leaves a note on your file.

Tbh I think this is it. The appointment was to discuss how to change my meds for several reasons, there wasn't really an option for 'it's all ok, no action needed' such as if it was a thyroid or iron test so I suspect that was based on interpretation (perhaps upon seeing that nothing else was out of the ordinary).

OP posts:
Candleabra · 30/01/2021 09:47

She can't just look through patient records if she feels like it! And unless the GP has given the blood work feedback to relay to you specifically, she shouldn't have been in your notes either.

I don't work for the NHS, but having been involved in investigations of similar data breaches I would imagine that accessing patient notes without a specific purpose is a disciplinary offence. An investigation would be able to pull her IT history and see exactly which notes she'd been looking at.

Original poster
Monsteraobliqua · 30/01/2021 09:54

I mean, to be fair, I don't know if she has agreed with the GP whether she can look at all or some notes (or whether this would be mitigation), but yes that made me very uncomfortable. I'm a private person anyway and have to respect data protection/ confidentiality rules for my own work.

I don't think I'll report her based on what I do know, if I'm honest, maybe if I knew for sure she had dug deeper into my notes as I would be really upset by that (my meds quite recently caused suicide ideation which would have been recorded).

OP posts:
LittleBoPeep95 · 30/01/2021 09:58

Confidentiality is a huge part of her job role. If she discussed your notes with anyone other than your doctor or nurse, she would get fired. Honestly I know it's embarrassing but she will come across loads of people she knows workingas a GP receptionist, and she will have to treat them all the same.

Candleabra · 30/01/2021 10:02

But I don't think she and the GP can just make an in house agreement that she has special privileges to look at patients' notes. And if they have, then that needs investigation too.
There will be all sorts of NHS protocols and processes to eliminate conflicts of interests etc. There could be personal things in your notes that someone could blackmail you with, or reveal information you don't want anyone to know.
It would deeply concern me too. There must be a way of reporting this confidentially to the practice manager.

HumourReplacementTherapy · 30/01/2021 10:19

Personally I don't think she should have been the one contacting you in the first place!
Surely if the person is known to the receptionist they should pass it to a colleague?
I'm a public servant and we are not allowed to access records of anyone we know personally and if we do access anything inadvertently we have to report it.

nicknamehelp · 30/01/2021 10:33

I doubt her log in gives her this access. Is she just generally chatting to nurses about conditions in general and not per particular patient?

Original poster
Monsteraobliqua · 30/01/2021 10:44

Tbh, I'm not sure Nickname She definitely said she looks at notes, I got the impression electronically but maybe it would be paper copies if she couldn't get in, she didn't specify (don't know if they still have paper notes at GPs).

OP posts:
Bandino · 30/01/2021 10:45

Agree with humour. If you know someone you ask another staff member to deal with it. That would be the norm where I work.

Original poster
Monsteraobliqua · 30/01/2021 10:54

Humour and Bandino I thought that too (I suppose difficult if it was a very small or local practice where the receptionist works alone or knows half the village). I used to do a sometimes public facing job involving confidential detail and contacting a friend would have been strongly frowned upon. You were expected to make that judgement yourself and pass the work on.

OP posts:
LemonadeFromLemons · 30/01/2021 10:59

Speak to the patient experience lead at your practice and ask what they can do. If they don’t have a policy maybe they can bring one in that if you know someone on a personal level get a colleague to deal with it. This way your friend won’t know you’ve spoken to the practice about her.

With the blood test results. In your case obviously being used for something else other than levels. But it your friend has your record up she would be able to see the results as they will be attached to it and can with experience interpret the levels as being nothing to worry about. Even though that’s missing the point!

Sunnydays999 · 30/01/2021 11:01

@user194729573 she could probably see they were fine as gps write notes next to them like normal satisfactory, review at gp appointment

Sunnydays999 · 30/01/2021 11:02

You can ask for her to not have access to your files as you know each other . I do this if there is anyone i know

Sunnydays999 · 30/01/2021 11:03

@nicknamehelp general receptionist will have access to all blood and scan results

ancientgran · 30/01/2021 11:05

I don't think there is a right or wrong reaction. You feel how you feel.

When I was in hospital in labour it was a quiet night and two young midwives were with me chatting. Both were pregnant and I asked if they were having the babies at the hospital where they worked. One said yes of course, I know everyone, I trust how it works here. The other one said, no way I'm not dropping my knickers for any of the doctors here I want doctors I don't know. Both perfectly reasonable in my book and the same with your issue, some people won't be bothered but you are.

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