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AIBU?

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Original poster

Can someone from a different GP's access my medical records?

107 replies

Lelala · 14/05/2023 21:37

just as the title says really

I am registered with a gp surgery

someone known to me works for a completely different gp surgery but seems to have knowledge of my medical information

are they able to access my medical records even though they work at a separate surgery?

OP posts:
iamnottoofatiamjusttooshort · 14/05/2023 22:05

Oysterbabe · 14/05/2023 21:38

No, they can't access them.

They can if they access The Spine through System One

holaholiday · 14/05/2023 22:06

it's perhaps rather more likely that they have come by this info by other means - relatives/friends/other mutual acquaintances of yours, have you asked them how they know this info ?

endofthelinefinally · 14/05/2023 22:13

For example, I could be doing my clinic in town A using EMIS in that practice.
I might get a query from a nurse visiting a patient registered at a different practice in town B.
Because practice B uses EMIS, I can log out of practice A and log into Practice in town B and access the patient's record.
There is an audit trail linked to my smart card, which was programmed to access all the surgeries I visit.
I can't access a Systm1 record from EMIS or vice versa.

NoContact0 · 14/05/2023 22:15

This has worried me.
I used to know a dietitian who seemed to know information about my disease that she couldn't really have known. She was based at another hospital to me though. People said on here that it was impossible for her to view my records but after reading this thread it's got me concerned again.

Dontlistitonfacebook · 14/05/2023 22:17

OP I suspect you are getting different answers because it works differently in different parts of the UK. Not every country has system one. Wouldn't be possible where I am, but sounds like it'd be possible elsewhere (England?).

Original poster
Lelala · 14/05/2023 22:17

I can't really ask the person, don't have a great relationship with them and they have form for lying

this may be super outing. They are a practice manager at a gp's - completely separate trust and town from my own gp. Would they be able to see any of my info?

OP posts:
LakeTiticaca · 14/05/2023 22:19

Nobody can just look up your records for a nosy. They have to have a legitimate reason for doing so.
Otherwise they will be for the chop

endofthelinefinally · 14/05/2023 22:20

Everyone's smart card is programmed to allow access to whatever surgeries/ systems/ information deemed necessary for their role.
A dietician might well have access to several sites.
I was a peripatetic clinical nurse specialist, so I was often managing staff and patients across several sites at the same time.

Doyoumind · 14/05/2023 22:20

Don't you think they could find out the information from friends or family? Why would they want to access your file when being caught could be so serious for them?

LovedmyRaleighChopper · 14/05/2023 22:21

BeverlyHa · 14/05/2023 21:41

Yup, i heard that anyone who knows your name and surname, and work in the NHS, can just click your name into the NSH database and see all your records, including even cleaners. Not sure is it true but I heard it in a discussion with actual professionals

Not really. I can access them as a trained nurse, but run the risk of investigation and dismissal if I can’t evidence you are my patient and I had a legitimate treatment need to access them. I have had to have training to use this system and be issued with a username and password, regularly changed. Cleaners do not have this training or access as it’s not necessary for their job role.

GCWorkNightmare · 14/05/2023 22:22

Lelala · 14/05/2023 21:55

Is this where I would go to to get that information or should I contact my own GP's?
https://www.england.nhs.uk/contact-us/foi/

It’s a subject access request. Not a FOI.

Batalax · 14/05/2023 22:24

Interesting.

DorritLittle · 14/05/2023 22:24

There is no way a cleaner would be able to access them.

Original poster
Lelala · 14/05/2023 22:25

I don't know tbh. This medical issue is something I've only shared with my husband, and he has sworn blind he hasn't told anyone. Of course it's not impossible he's lying, but I would like to believe he is telling the truth. I more just wanted to know if it was a possibility that this person has gotten the information themselves

OP posts:
GreenIsle · 14/05/2023 22:25

Lelala · 14/05/2023 22:17

I can't really ask the person, don't have a great relationship with them and they have form for lying

this may be super outing. They are a practice manager at a gp's - completely separate trust and town from my own gp. Would they be able to see any of my info?

Right so a practice manager does not need access to multi gp surgery patient notes only her own surgery therefore surely she does not have logins for others.

Obviously different like other posters who run clinics in different surgery's so obviously need multiple access but a gp surgery a manger does not

endofthelinefinally · 14/05/2023 22:26

It is often the practice manager who is the Caldicott Guardian, so this is potentially very serious.
The practice manager at your own gp might advise whoever is a more senior person to investigate.

saraclara · 14/05/2023 22:26

Lelala · 14/05/2023 21:55

Is this where I would go to to get that information or should I contact my own GP's?
https://www.england.nhs.uk/contact-us/foi/

Have you read the Guardian news item linked above? It explains how the woman stallked by a hospital doctor found out that they'd accessed her GP's records (from California, so not even from within her NHS trust!)
You can do exactly what the stalled woman did.

titchy · 14/05/2023 22:27

LakeTiticaca · 14/05/2023 22:19

Nobody can just look up your records for a nosy. They have to have a legitimate reason for doing so.
Otherwise they will be for the chop

Clearly your record can be looked up. Just because someone would be risking their job and accreditation for doing so, doesn't mean they can't!

Mars27 · 14/05/2023 23:17

BeverlyHa · 14/05/2023 21:41

Yup, i heard that anyone who knows your name and surname, and work in the NHS, can just click your name into the NSH database and see all your records, including even cleaners. Not sure is it true but I heard it in a discussion with actual professionals

Eh? Have you been watching too many medical dramas?

I work for the NHS as admin and one of the first things I've learned in my induction was that I would need a justified reason to search for patients who don't belong to our caseload. Searching medical records of whoever you fancy is sackable offence.

jcyclops · 14/05/2023 23:30

In my area, 18 GP practices collaborate to provide evening and weekend services based at 3 of the biggest surgeries. This is not an emergency service, services available are the same as during daytime and the staff work these hours on a rota. When it was first introduced, patients were told their full records would be available to staff. I have never used it myself, but the few I know who have used it say it appears to work well, and it has been running now for some time without modification so I assume it must be working OK.

MedSchoolRat · 15/05/2023 00:09

BeverlyHa · 14/05/2023 21:41

Yup, i heard that anyone who knows your name and surname, and work in the NHS, can just click your name into the NSH database and see all your records, including even cleaners. Not sure is it true but I heard it in a discussion with actual professionals

er, no. I worked in performance management so saw individual but de-identified records of service use... If Beverly told me she was registered at Surgery Abbaka and had been to Grimesdale A&E on 5 March and seen at just about 9:03pm, and that she was 36yo female, I might just about be able to (lots of file cross referencing) find that specific A&E attendance record as long as Grimesdale was one of the A&Es we managed, Grimesdale is not too busy (not lots other appointments for 36yo females at same time) and then since I had a pseudo-ID for her, I might (with lots of other cross referencing) be able to see some other NHS services she had attended in last 5 years (say dermatology or gyna appointment) : but I wouldn't know what she was treated for at a single one of these services. Or anything about her appointments with GP, or out of area. The pseudo-ID might randomly change for Beverly so be getting me incorrect info, and the records might be obsolete or simply non-existent on our servers because not part of our performance management contracts.

I'd have to get thru 2 or 3 different logins, using the very specific info Beverly gave me, and apply technical skills to get to that level of info.

It would be extremely much easier to just offer to buy Beverley a pint or gossip with her relatives or enemies, if I was so curious about her health issues.

Husband needs a "fit and well" note from GP to do a sporting event; our surgery refuses to do those notes for anyone (we offered to pay). Husband tried other surgeries & they said they can't see DH's records to write the fit-well statement. I wish it was easy for more NHS staff to see individual records !!

JudgeRudy · 15/05/2023 00:20

It's possible yes. In fact many services within the NHS could in theory access your records but they should have a reason to do so. If you suspected someone had been looking at your records I'd suggest you make a subject access request (to ensure the information is correct) but also I'd raise a concern with the data controller. If they work for a GP surgery that's primary care. A quick Google should tell you which Trust that is, and contact details for the data controller. Although the surgery have your records it's unlikely they'll be able go do an audit trail to see who's accessed your notes. You need to go a step higher.
If they have looked at your records without a valid reason that's gross misconduct as it should be.

Murdoch1949 · 15/05/2023 00:35

My understanding is that it's a national database and that details can be accessed by NHS employees - so a physio or occupational therapist could get access. It would get flagged up that they had done so, I would have thought. Check at your GP surgery.

SleepyRich · 15/05/2023 03:15

Yes they almost certainly would be able to access your healthcare records. But you cannot access records without leaving your digital signature. Whenever I open anyone's records it's quite easy to see the log of who else has been in. From how you're described it though they would have no grounds for doing so and if caught browsing in that manor would at the least certainly put their job on the line.

PollyPeptide · 15/05/2023 06:10

endofthelinefinally · 14/05/2023 22:13

For example, I could be doing my clinic in town A using EMIS in that practice.
I might get a query from a nurse visiting a patient registered at a different practice in town B.
Because practice B uses EMIS, I can log out of practice A and log into Practice in town B and access the patient's record.
There is an audit trail linked to my smart card, which was programmed to access all the surgeries I visit.
I can't access a Systm1 record from EMIS or vice versa.

But does that mean that access to those 5 surgeries has been put on your smart card and you can't access any other gp surgeries besides those 5? Or can you access all GP surgeries in England?
If the ops surgery is not attached to the surgery of the person who op believes has checked their records, would the staff member have access?
I guess I'm asking if you're saying that every gp surgery can access the full notes of all other gp surgeries in the country?