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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to try and find out if my medical records have been wrongly accessed?

225 replies

Starrynight567 · 09/02/2025 07:46

I can't go into detail as to why I'm asking, as I may out myself, but I'm suspicious that my exH's now wife could've accessed my medical records, and I'm wondering whether I can find out if she has?
I've been separated from exH for 12 years, and he met his wife about ten years ago. In the time that they've been together his wife has caused a lot of trouble and plainly doesn't like the fact her H shares DC's with me, and has tried to ruin the relationship they have with their dad. Also, she can't abide me, even though I've done nothing to her.
So much has gone on that I can't go into, but I'm now at the point of being really concerned that she could've looked through my medical records. She's a nurse, and I know it's strictly prohibited for anyone to access medical records if they have no need to, but I believe she's brazen enough to do it.

I'm wondering how I can go about finding out, even if just to put my mind at rest, and how far back can they check to see who has actually looked at my records do you know? Thanks

OP posts:
Mylovelygreendress · 09/02/2025 09:06

Not sure why posters are saying to get on with your life . I would be incandescent if I found out my medical records had been accessed unlawfully .

TinkyBella · 09/02/2025 09:11

I don’t know about NHS but I know that in the civil service and police it’s possible to look up everyone’s search history on their internal system. I’m guessing it’s the same for nhs.
you could go to the GDPR governing body if you have evidence to support your claim as it’s a sackable offence.

Lorelaigilmore88 · 09/02/2025 09:14

Londonrach1 · 09/02/2025 08:13

As someone who works in the NHS it is vvv hard to access records of patients you have no access too. The manager is informed and you have to fill in a form which is manager approved why you need access. Do you have any suspicion that she has. You ex dp wil be sacked if she accessed the records but she have to have approval from manager and footprint on the records. Yabu and risk someone's job if you are wrong. However if she knows something you not told her you go via pals. Just hoping telling you how hard it is to access records out your mind at rest.

Edited

Sorry but this is not true. Depending on the system the Trust uses, its very easy to access medical records since they are no longer paper based. I've never heard of any clinician having to fill in a form. How would that work in practice? Some trusts use Hive and you can search for people.

Luckily since its electronic, there is an audit trail, the Trust's information governance team can see who she has searched for. If she hasn't got a legitimate reason for searching, that is an issue. So unless she was involved someway in your medical care, she would have no reason to search for you.
Her job is not at risk unless shes acted inappropriately. If you ask them to check whether she has accessed your records inappropriately, she wouldn't even be informed they were checking. She'd only be told if they needed to take action for systems misuse.

Lorelaigilmore88 · 09/02/2025 09:15

Mylovelygreendress · 09/02/2025 09:06

Not sure why posters are saying to get on with your life . I would be incandescent if I found out my medical records had been accessed unlawfully .

Exactly. And if she's a registered nurse she's breaching NMC guidelines, which should concern everyone

Panickingnowhelp · 09/02/2025 09:16

I work in a GP surgery and it was drummed into me on day one that under no circumstances am I to access anyones record without a work need to.
Each search is audited and at any time you could be asked to explained why you entered someones record.

I work and live rurally and know lots of the patients, I always ask them if they're happy for me to deal with their query/booking or if I should pass it to a colleague, someone's medical info is the most intimate knowledge you can have on someone And it would be so morally wrong to access it with no need.
If she has searched you they would know, I'd raise your concerns and let her trust look into it. If they can't see her having had any access to your record I doubt they'd bring it to her attention. There's no harm putting your concerns in and letting them deal with it.

Lanzarotelady · 09/02/2025 09:17

Londonrach1 · 09/02/2025 08:13

As someone who works in the NHS it is vvv hard to access records of patients you have no access too. The manager is informed and you have to fill in a form which is manager approved why you need access. Do you have any suspicion that she has. You ex dp wil be sacked if she accessed the records but she have to have approval from manager and footprint on the records. Yabu and risk someone's job if you are wrong. However if she knows something you not told her you go via pals. Just hoping telling you how hard it is to access records out your mind at rest.

Edited

Rubbish, as a nurse, when I log into our hospital system, I have access to everyone one who is an IP, I could very easily look into someones record if I wanted to, no alarm would be raised, no paperwork signed, I don't and I never would do, but as a Sr in a busy unit I need access to all of my patients details

Lanzarotelady · 09/02/2025 09:19

If she works in a hosptal then yes, she probably could access your records, but this would be date stamped as to when she looked and she would need to be able to justify why she looked ( if there was an investigation ) but she would have no way of getting into your GP records, there isn't one big NHS computer system that is linked

Ihatelittlefriendsusan · 09/02/2025 09:21

My doctors has an online system where I cam see my summary patient record and you cam see who else has accessed it and when. Does yours do that?

If not enter a SARS request for the data, she stands to be sacked if she has accessed your records without a legitimate cause.

Autther · 09/02/2025 09:22

Not sure why everyone is saying it is hard to access? I worked in a hospital admin role for about 2 years and could access pretty much all records on the system for the whole trust, not even just my hospital. I wasn't in a medical role though so maybe it's different, but not sure why I'd have been more trusted than a nurse or doctor

Emptyflames · 09/02/2025 09:23

Londonrach1 · 09/02/2025 08:13

As someone who works in the NHS it is vvv hard to access records of patients you have no access too. The manager is informed and you have to fill in a form which is manager approved why you need access. Do you have any suspicion that she has. You ex dp wil be sacked if she accessed the records but she have to have approval from manager and footprint on the records. Yabu and risk someone's job if you are wrong. However if she knows something you not told her you go via pals. Just hoping telling you how hard it is to access records out your mind at rest.

Edited

She won't be sacked if she hasn't accessed the records though?

Lanzarotelady · 09/02/2025 09:23

Autther · 09/02/2025 09:22

Not sure why everyone is saying it is hard to access? I worked in a hospital admin role for about 2 years and could access pretty much all records on the system for the whole trust, not even just my hospital. I wasn't in a medical role though so maybe it's different, but not sure why I'd have been more trusted than a nurse or doctor

Its not hard at all.
Its very easy

Lanzarotelady · 09/02/2025 09:24

Emptyflames · 09/02/2025 09:23

She won't be sacked if she hasn't accessed the records though?

Show quote history

No she won't be if she hasn't accessed them
If she accessed them and doesn't have a reason why then there will be an investigation

Anyotherdude · 09/02/2025 09:27

For everyone saying “just leave it, ot get on with your life” you clearly don’t care who sees your records. For others, keeping medical records private is incredibly important.
Having been emotionally coerced into having some unwanted medical procedures in the past, and having seen family members being dragged through pointless, invasive, and unlikely to work treatments which made their final years too unbearable for words, I have decided that if I get cancer, I will keep it to myself and refuse treatment for anything with less than a 50% chance of success.
I will not share any such diagnosis with my family, as they would try to persuade me to have treatment.
That such a breach of trust could be a possibility, if I were in the same situation as OP, I would certainly be considering checking. If Ex-H’s wife were the potential snooper, she deserves to lose her job!
Disclaimer: of course, if I were to be diagnosed, I may feel differently about keeping it to myself - none of us knows how we’d react in the face of an actual diagnosis, so my resolve may well be tested if I were to reach that point!

Emptyflames · 09/02/2025 09:28

Soontobe60 · 09/02/2025 08:48

But you are accusing her. And she may well have done nothing wrong.
What steps have you taken so far to check if she has accessed your records?

Show quote history

Op has a suspicion, and is looking for what steps she can.

She may have done nothing, and if she has done nothing then there is nothing to worry about

HoraceCope · 09/02/2025 09:29

Starrynight567 · 09/02/2025 08:10

The nurse works in a hospital, so I'm assuming my GP records couldn't be accessed by her.

Show quote history

not GP records necessarily no

KezzaMucklowe · 09/02/2025 09:32

fallingupwards · 09/02/2025 08:06

Access this by requesting a SAR (subject access request) through the NHS app.

This is good advice.
I would want to know too op.

TheAmusedQuail · 09/02/2025 09:34

My exes previous wife (exes ex wife - if that makes sense) had a friend at the hospital access his health records when he was dangerously ill. The ex wife knew when he was admitted, who the surgeon was. I was down as his next of kin with strict instructions on the notes not to contact the ex wife, yet she still had all the information.

It was reported and nothing was ever done about it.

Autther · 09/02/2025 09:34

A subject access request shows the information held. I don't believe it shows anything about who accessed it

Panickingnowhelp · 09/02/2025 09:35

To add, I don't know if doing a SAR will help as they can't give information about others so if it does say the info was accessed on X date, they couldn't say it was accessed by Jennifer Smith on X date.
I think the way to go is to raise a concern that your info may have been accessed.

HoraceCope · 09/02/2025 09:36

but bear in mind there are different computer systems, so your access request may be in vain.

sadlater · 09/02/2025 09:37

Londonrach1 · 09/02/2025 08:13

As someone who works in the NHS it is vvv hard to access records of patients you have no access too. The manager is informed and you have to fill in a form which is manager approved why you need access. Do you have any suspicion that she has. You ex dp wil be sacked if she accessed the records but she have to have approval from manager and footprint on the records. Yabu and risk someone's job if you are wrong. However if she knows something you not told her you go via pals. Just hoping telling you how hard it is to access records out your mind at rest.

Edited

This depends on individual systems I’m afraid. I’ve been involved in an investigation where multiple files were accessed by a nurse and nothing would have been picked up had a concern not been raised by a member of the public.

Househunter2025 · 09/02/2025 09:41

Mylovelygreendress · 09/02/2025 09:06

Not sure why posters are saying to get on with your life . I would be incandescent if I found out my medical records had been accessed unlawfully .

They are probably people who work in the NHS and think it's ok to have a cheeky peek at their family and friends medical records!

rrrrrreatt · 09/02/2025 09:45

Panickingnowhelp · 09/02/2025 09:35

To add, I don't know if doing a SAR will help as they can't give information about others so if it does say the info was accessed on X date, they couldn't say it was accessed by Jennifer Smith on X date.
I think the way to go is to raise a concern that your info may have been accessed.

Information about who has accessed a health record isn’t generally exempt if specifically requested in a SAR, unless identifying the person could put them at risk.

OP I’d start by doing a SAR and see what comes out of that. If you go to PALS, or approach the Trust through another route, they will need to properly investigate as it’s a very serious allegation. If it takes them a while to check and the allegation stands up, further patient records could be accessed without good reason.

The quality of EPR systems can really vary but I’ve heard of numerous cases of staff accessing records when they shouldn’t so it can happen.

MrsElijahMikaelson1 · 09/02/2025 09:45

Just put in the request to see who has had access. Take it from there once you have the results.

TiggyTomCat · 09/02/2025 09:46

IseeBrigadoon · 09/02/2025 08:48

I’m a nurse. From the systems we use at our Trust I can see the records of anyone that has visited our Trust. I can also use another system that will give me access to see some aspects of your GP care and consultation letters from other Trusts. So it’s not as hard as you think to view people’s records. And yes, the IT team can see if you have accessed a persons records if asked, you leave a digital footprint each time you look at a record. If you have concerns raise them, if she’s looking at yours, she could be looking at friends/family/neighbours and she is absolutely not allowed to do that. It’s a breach of trust and against her NMC code of conduct.

This. If you have significant concerns you should raise it. It's clearly easy for the IT dept to find out without her even knowing unless they find of course that she has. Her job is not in danger unless she has. It would at least put your mind at rest.