School Mum starting at GP

[KnowlWay]

Is there any way to ensure she can’t access my medical records? She’s very mouthy. We get on okay but I don’t want her knowing anything about my health. I don’t think I’m being unreasonable. My husband does and thinks she won’t get a chance to be nosey.

She even told her when a mutual friend had depression and another had an abortion.

@FireflyRainbow

She even told her when a mutual friend had depression and another had an abortion.

Fucking hell, that's outrageous, does she still work there?

Hi op

I was a Gp receptionist for a long time. If she is receptionist then of course she can just access your records. She will have full access to all patients records within that surgery. You don't need consent because it's pasty of her Job, you literally just type a name or date of birth and click in that's it, nothing fancy. Receptionists access the records all the time to complete their Job, what if a letter comes in for you then this has to be scanned and added to your records. Yes all this is recorded but so you really think there is someone who comes to you at the end of the day and says oh prove why you accessed this patients records - no there isn't.

Asking as she keeps things confidential then that's it or move GP because you cannot police this. Plus when you move surgery your old surgery has to send your hard file off and how do you know it will not be here that helps with this by the time this is processed.

I didn’t realise one of the school mums from my daughters class even worked as a nurse at the local GP.... until I turned up for my smear appointment

Last time I noticed my records were still a cardboard folder. Yours MAY be fully computerised, with an access trail. Or they may not.

If it really bothers you, change GP.

She will not be allowed to access your information unless she is absolutely required to do so. If she accessed it without permission she can be sacked for breach of confidentiality. The same goes if she were to reveal any of it. As others have suggested speak to the practice manager to ensure that she doesn’t need to access it (ie, pass you to another receptionist etc) due to conflicted interests.

Assure you, not ensure you.

My daughter's MIL AND SIL both work at our local surgery. They have never mentioned anything about people I know, its more than their jobs worth.

I had to laugh. The scenario...'low in iron'...pml

I work in a GP surgery that is quite local to where I live and a number of school mums and people I know are patients there. She will be able to access your medical records and in practice there would be no way for you to know if she had if she behaved appropriately about it and only accessed them for good reason and respected confidentiality. day to day no one would necessarily be monitoring her personally to check she hadn’t. Having said that all actions on GP systems are audited and if you had the least suspicion that she had accessed your records without good reason and reported your concerns to the practice they would take that seriously and would be able to track her actions. I personally avoid accessing the records of people I know even when I have good reason. I hand that work to other people in the practice and I think most of my colleagues do the same to avoid any awkward issues. We put informal alerts on the notes saying “personal friend of Dr X.” Everyone in the practice from the partners to the lowest paid member of the admin team takes confidentiality very seriously.

@PinkiOcelot

I used to work in a GP surgery. It was paper notes then so I could have looked in anyone’s notes had I wanted to. I didn’t though, because I have not one shiny shite what you was in there! Do you honestly think she’ll be rubbing her hands with glee about looking in your notes?! Do you think that you’re that interesting that she’ll give a shit?!

Depends who the OP is, and depends who the school mum is.

Yes, some people do rub their hands in glee at gossip opportunities.

I’m following this with interest as my ex has recently started dating the receptionist at my surgery, she is young and a little immature so I was worried about the same thing. There’s nothing in my notes that would concern me if she did blab but it does feel a little like she can intrude on my life if she wants to. I contemplated changing surgeries but I’ve decided to just see what happens.

Yes she access your records. If you find out she’s done so, without good reason (so if a health condition comes up in general chat) you can make a complaint. She should only be accessing records if she has a reason. If you find out she has and report, she faces not just being fired, but possibly a fine (which can be hefty) for breaking GDPR.

[I work in OH and those rules are standard within medical environments].

I work in a small town so I (and the other receptionists) know a lot of the patients. I would never discuss anything I read at work outside the practice. But obviously I could if I wanted to - that would be the case with any job where you have access to information about people.

I would move GPs.

Forgive me if someone has already written about this.
There have been different levels of access to information in the healthcare systems I’ve worked with. I could only access the information I needed to do my job and the first time it was at a very low level, just demographic stuff. I know that the receptionists at my surgery can access the medication part of my records and they’ve also given me test results. I don’t know whether they can access at a more ‘confidential’ level. They are bound by very strict rules of confidentiality and every time they log in and use the system, they will leave a trail, which can easily be followed. If she does say anything to you or about you it is a very serious matter. Losing her job would be the least of her worries.

The answer, as has been said is yes and no really. Yes technically she can access them, but no, she can't just access whoever's records she wants for no reason without consequence.

Sorry she can and probably will access your records. Yes she'd be disciplined if anyone found out but access isn't monitored so she could pass on information without you knowing. I'd change GPs personally.

Only tangentially related:
About 20 years ago I was kind of seeing this guy and he worked at the HQ of a building society. We were chatting on the phone at lunch, and suddenly he said "Did you know you have an account here with 17 euro in it? That you haven't touched since you were 9 years old?" and first of all he had been idly searching for my name while we were talking, but secondly, it was my COMMUNION MONEY! Had only the dimmest recollection of being taken the open the account, and indeed had never used it again.

Obv. massively unethical of him to be looking it up, and I bet there was zero log-in trail back then. I actually worked there myself a year later and their computers were OLD, even by standards of the time.

Anyway, I got my communion money and closed the account.

Fin.

@WorraLiberty

From NHS England...

Staff are only able to access your record when they have an official need to, they can't look at your record for no reason. They can only see the information they need to use in order for them to do their job properly and help you manage your health.

This is not true.

I work as a GP receptionist and can access any registered patients record at anytime.

OP your friend would be stupid to open her mouth about your health. She risks losing her job and would be breaking several rules/laws.

If any concern either speak to the practice manager or move GPs.

There have been different levels of access to information in the healthcare systems I’ve worked with. I could only access the information I needed to do my job and the first time it was at a very low level, just demographic stuff. I know that the receptionists at my surgery can access the medication part of my records and they’ve also given me test results. I don’t know whether they can access at a more ‘confidential’ level.

This is a good point, actually. Where I work only me and my manager have access to all cases. I have full access as I admin the actual database and do book the ‘confidential’ cases like directors. The rest of the team can’t access them. Whilst I have no idea what type of database they use, you may be able to raise this as an issue to the practice manager and ask, that as she knows you on a personal level, your file is restricted to her.

I’ve worked at my local gp practice for 18 years, my family,friends and neighbours are registered there.As well as most of the school mums and children.I am not remotely interested in peoples personal information,health or private business. I often spoke to people over the phone I knew well and acted as if I hadn’t the foggiest idea who they were and most of the time they didn’t know it was me (phone voice lol). In 18 years I’ve never disclosed information relating to my job to anyone. The amount of people who I knew had passed away before they’re own family and friends...I had to keep that quiet. People who had a cancer diagnosis and hadn’t told their family...I kept that to myself. Young pregnant girls who didn’t want to tell their parents.... Leave her crack in and do her job and if you’re that concerned register at another gp. YABU

OP I understand how you feel. I have a medical
History I don’t want others knowing about and one of the dancing mums is a practice manager. Thankfully she doesn’t know my name (different from Daughter) but it’s uncomfortable knowing the town gossip has access to your most private information. We all know if they found stuff out they’d be home to their husband saying “you’ll never guess what...?” Even although they’re not meant to.

Congratulate her on her newly found medical degree because she’ll be gatekeeping from
Now on with more knowledge than a qualified doctor and you can make Her feel uncomfortable by wanting to discuss this anal abscess you have and does she want to see it... I’m
A bit cruel that way.

I think you can ask for your records to be sealed for certain staff. My AC bf worked at family Dr and they were not allowed access to our files. I found this out when they answered my call and had to get someone else to check and book appt. So it may be possible but they are not allowed to discuss patients info (that said can't be sure it doesn't happen).