Page 4 | AIBU to try and find out if my medical records have been wrongly accessed?

Starrynight567 · 2025-02-09T07:46:36+00:00

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

Ladamesansmerci · 09/02/2025 09:47

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

I work as a mental health nurse, and it's really not tbh. I could easily access anyone's record who is under the trust. It's called breaking glass. A box pops up, but you just pop in a reason like 'care provision'. You can also access records of people who have historically used the trust. I only ever use it if we're awaiting a referral from another service and it hasn't come through yet, or if someone has been discharged and I remember a piece of paperwork I missed.

Also, on some systems, you can see everything. We use System One, where you can see GP notes, hospital letters, notes from Physio etc. The GPs can also see my notes! I make a clear point of asking patients whether it's okay for me to read other notes. Most patients don't care, but you do get instances where patients haven't approved sharing in/out of records, but GPs etc have done it anyway.

If the notes are electronic, it will leave an audit trail.

Also OP, you have a right to know who is accessing your private medical records. Anyone suggesting it's stupid or asking why it matters is silly. It's your private information and you have a legal rights to confidentiality. If she has been accessing records, she 100% deserves to be disciplined. Make a subject access request to management. Don't blame this woman if you don't have proof, but just say you're worried someone you know has access to your records, and you'd like to see an audit trail.

Oioisavaloy27 · 09/02/2025 09:48

Do you really think she would risk losing her job for you?

RitaConnors · 09/02/2025 09:49

Oioisavaloy27 · 09/02/2025 09:48

Do you really think she would risk losing her job for you?

Well yes, she does think that. That's why she's posting.

Carinattheliqorstore1 · 09/02/2025 09:52

Contact the data protection officer at the hospital she works at and explain your concerns and ask them to look into it.

This is your private data. And you are
right to call expect privacy. I’m not sure why so many people are telling you to just ignore it

Gloschick · 09/02/2025 10:00

I imagine the more likely scenario is that she has spotted you in the hospital corridor and is being a bit nosy and trying to find out more by talking to DC. If you think about it logically, if she had seen you record and knows all about whatever health issue you are dealing with, there would be no need to arouse suspicion by questioning dc.

PinkiOcelot · 09/02/2025 10:02

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 is not true of the whole of the NHS. The Trust I work at is all electronic. All I need to do is type in someone’s name and their records are there.
I would of course leave a fingerprint/footprint of what I have looked at, but as far as I know, spot checks are not carried out regularly.
That is not allowed obviously, but very very easy to do if I was so inclined.

SPsmama · 09/02/2025 10:02

If she works in a medical setting and has access to medical records, then yes she can look at them. She shouldn't but she can. There is always a trail of who has looked at things, you can start by making a complaint and IT will look into it. I briefly worked in NHS IT and we would get these requests from HR all the time.

Lanzarotelady · 09/02/2025 10:03

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

Do you actually work for the NHS?

maudelovesharold · 09/02/2025 10:05

Cannot understand people saying ‘move on’ ‘give up’ etc. If she has accessed the op’s records, and it sounds like there are grounds for suspicion which the op isn’t disclosing here, it could be ongoing. I certainly wouldn’t like to think that any old Tom, Dick or Harry could access my medical records, if they’re not involved in my treatment. I’m sure it wouldn’t be the first time that medical personnel have accessed patients’ records for their own agenda.

ChaosNegotiator · 09/02/2025 10:06

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

That's not typical at all, I've worked in four different hospitals and in all of them I could look up any patient registered in the system with no blocks or need for permissions. In my current system there are extra checks on certain patients (mainly people who work for the trust or who are famous in some way although I believe anyone could ask for it), for those patients I have to state why I need to access the record and put my password in again.

All the systems do keep a full audit trail of what everyone has viewed though and no one should be accessing a record unless they have a professional reason for doing that. If the new wife hasn't accessed OP's record her job is in no danger at all, if she has it's entirely her own fault that her job is at risk.

Twaddlepip · 09/02/2025 10:09

HoskinsChoice · 09/02/2025 07:51

Life's too short. What will you gain by knowing either way? Just forget about it and get on with enjoying your life.

It’s wholly not allowed. She could lose her job. Which might be quite fun given the shit the woman has given the poor OP.

maudelovesharold · 09/02/2025 10:09

Contact the data protection officer at the hospital she works at and explain your concerns and ask them to look into it.

This. If there is no record of her having accessed your records, she will not lose her job. If she has, without good reason, then she will rightly be called to account.

Oioisavaloy27 · 09/02/2025 10:10

RitaConnors · 09/02/2025 09:49

Well yes, she does think that. That's why she's posting.

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But it's been 12 years!

Twaddlepip · 09/02/2025 10:11

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

What part of the NHS do you apparently work in? Catering? It is not remotely hard to access records.

thescandalwascontained · 09/02/2025 10:12

If she hasn't done anything wrong (tried to access or accessed your records), then she won't lose her job if you ask the question.

If you have sound reason to believe she has accessed them, however, and she has in fact done so, then frankly she deserves to lose her job.

lunar1 · 09/02/2025 10:14

The OP would be risking anyone's job. The only way she would get in trouble is if she's has opened your records, the access records are very clear with who, where, when notes are accessed.

If she is prepared to do this, she isn't a nurse I'd trust with anything. Confidentiality is one of the most important boundaries for health care professionals.

If she's done nothing wrong, she won't have an issue. Even if the op was on this woman's ward, she shouldn't be accessing her notes, she would declare it a conflict of interest and pass onto another nurse with the exception of an immediate medical emergency.

Pussycat22 · 09/02/2025 10:14

Twaddlepip · 09/02/2025 10:09

It’s wholly not allowed. She could lose her job. Which might be quite fun given the shit the woman has given the poor OP.

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True but if there are children involved it may lead to an increase in child maintenance if ex wife sacked. Be careful what you wish for.

lunar1 · 09/02/2025 10:16

For the people saying it's hard to access records, it really isn't, I'm a nurse specialist now, but right from being a staff nurse I could access anyone's notes who's been through our trust.

Lanzarotelady · 09/02/2025 10:17

Twaddlepip · 09/02/2025 10:11

What part of the NHS do you apparently work in? Catering? It is not remotely hard to access records.

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I don't think she works in the NHS at all

Lavenderflower · 09/02/2025 10:19

I would contact PALS and ask them to contact your local governance team. You can ask them if she has looked at your records. It is important to note, she have may have found out information about your without looking at your records. For example, in my job, I triage referral from GP which goes into the main inbox. Occasionally, I see patient names of people I know. I usually don't touch those referrals and let my colleagues deal with it. I would never discuss anyone records or let them know.

PickyTits · 09/02/2025 10:20

What would you do about it? Are you concerned she might try and use it against you or are you looking for a way to get her in trouble?

The nurse would have got herself into trouble here not the OP. As for "concerned she might to use it against you", well, what the nurse choose to do with that information is irrelevant if she has accessed the OPs records with no good cause, even if she's just being nosy and won't tell anyone. There are confidentiality laws for a reason and I cannot believe people are downplaying this.

maudelovesharold · 09/02/2025 10:21

Oioisavaloy27 · 09/02/2025 10:10

But it's been 12 years!

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It’s been 12 years since the op split from her husband. His now wife works as a nurse currently in the op’s local hospital and it sounds like the op’s suspicions were raised fairly recently.

ThatsNotMyTeen · 09/02/2025 10:23

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

How would she risk her job if she’s wrong? If the ex hasn’t accessed the records there would be no reason to lose her job.

Lanzarotelady · 09/02/2025 10:24

ThatsNotMyTeen · 09/02/2025 10:23

How would she risk her job if she’s wrong? If the ex hasn’t accessed the records there would be no reason to lose her job.

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I don't this poster has any idea of what she is on about

PickyTits · 09/02/2025 10:25

Also, for those downplaying it and thinking this isn't serious my cousin was reprimanded (she's a midwife) because the system flagged up she had accessed records with the same surname as hers (very uncommon surname). She was actually pregnant and looking at her own records but she was still told it was inappropriate and shouldn't be done.