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

[Starrynight567]

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

hospital records yes but not full GP records

but you know that

go for it op, if it helps you

@Starrynight567 you can make a subject access request and specify what clinic's records you think she may have accessed. You mention that she has shown interest in a medical issue you have so this will narrow your search and make it easy

I had a similar issue, but with GP practice, and a SAR returned the names of the staff who had accessed my notes.

SAR to hospital will give you similar results.

Contact information governance at your hospital who will process your SAR using the criteria you provide. Make it succinct by specifying the relevant clinic(s).and say you do not need information from anything else.

You are not wasting anyone's time and you absolutely have the right to know if anyone has inappropriately accessed your confidential, sensitive, information.

@Nevertrustacop records are computerised!

In Northern Ireland she could access your GP records through the hospital.

Regardless, you are entitled to find out who has accessed them and if you see something you don’t understand you are entitled to query it.

For those questioning if you’d be happy to risk her job - fuck that noise. She’d be the one risking her job by doing something so monumentally stupid.

The system concerning records where I worked in the NHS were abysmal and I think it would be hard to find out who had accessed them - might be easier if your local NHS hold everything electronically.
However, you could enquire and if she had accessed them, complain to the trust and refer her to the NMC under 'fitness to practise'.

@Starrynight567 I'd certainly consider raising this if you think she has accessed your medical records. If you think your child is telling the truth and she ask asked your child something about your health that could only have come from your medical record, then that's not on.

If she gets in trouble and loses her job that's not your problem.

As she works at the hospital, is there a chance she saw you attending an appointment, or someone else who works there saw you, and told her?

You can block access to your medical records for a specific person by making a formal request to your GP practice; this is usually done by submitting a "Subject Access Request" (SAR) where you explicitly state which individuals should not have access to your records.

If she works in a hospital she won’t be able to access much information online from your records. If you’ve been admitted then she could have accessed your records as an inpatient or your blood results. In my trust you can’t access GP records when working in the hospital (as a nurse).

I don’t know if that has been mentioned already as I havent read all of the replies. I know you don't have evidence of your suspicion, but if you did it could be cause for concern even if she hasn't accessed your records. Eg if you had a text stating 'I know you take strong anti depressants' one of her colleagues could have shared this information with her. If they are sharing that as gossip rather than a professional need this wouldn't be OK. And in the same way if she goes home and repeats this information that would be breaching confidentiality.1

If she has accessed your medical records without needing to she should be struck off. I’d have no qualms about reporting her

I know lots of you are saying that health records cannot be accessed from different places. However I work for the NHS (Allied Health Professional) and we update a computer system that shows all hospital referrals and hospital appointments and trips etc that I could in theory access (I don't because it's nothing to do with me and only update the relevant section). However as you login in, there is a clear message regarding unlawful access. Obviously these things do get audited and people can be caught.

Hi , I work in the NHS and this is not true for my trust.

I'm not clinical but could access any patients data. I don't because a) I'd loose , quite rightly, my job and more importantly, b) it's morally wrong.

I do not have to have my managers permission and unless there was a deep dive into.the audit trails then my access would not be flagged.

NHS clinical systems can only function based on trusting the individuals that use them .

Our trust does link to local gp records but not to the full record , but still detail on diagnosis , problems , procedures etc.

How far back all this can be searched ? Depends on on how long the systems have been in place.

This is not the case everywhere. I have been able to access records for people I don't provide care for. I have legitimate reasons e.g. a parent thinks their GP has referred to us, so I check their record but no referral has been made. I could easily explain why I was in the record if anyone checked who had accessed, but our system doesn't stop us from looking.

No-one will get in to trouble if they haven't been in the record. There may be an issue with correct reporting if people aren't properly logging out of a ward computer, which is a separate issue.

This is a massive issue where I work, not enough working computers, too many staff, you leave yourself logged in and step away due to being shouted in an emergency and before you know it somoene else is on your PC, yes we shoud log off and log back in but that can take 5 mins. Where I used to work in A&E we had tap on tap off terminals, much better

cba trawling through all the answers but if she’s done nothing wrong there will be no risk to her job for this to be raised. And someone previously saying things have to go through managers- no they don’t. I can look at the nhs trust clinical portal for any patient and access their outpatient info (not GP) with a date of birth… there would be a trail though and I would have to have a clinical reason to do so…

Or any outpatient appointments that op attends.

Your concerns are legitimate and no she shouldn’t inappropriately access your notes.
email PALS at your local trust and make a subject access request- you specifically want to know did she access your electronic notes.

it is a conduct issue to inappropriately access notes. HR issue and potentially NMC

If the trust has HIE she’ll potentially see the GP and ED and some MH

No, her income has nothing to do with what OP's ex pays in CM to OP or vv

I do not work in the NHS however based on my own recent experience I know this to be incorrect.
I personally know someone (close personal friend of mine) whose parent's medical records were accessed by a senior person (consultant level) at a hospital when that consultant had no contact with the parent, the parent was NOT his patient, and no medical or professional need to see the records. For context, this senior person is a “friend” of the person I know and was giving the person information under the guise of being helpful (the senior person is an abusive unethical in my view! - but that's another story…).

Yes you will be able to have it found out - and she is very likely to lose her job if she has - but you will need to raise a complaint and name her specifically. You won’t be given a list of names of who has accessed just by doing SAR.

medical records aren’t as joined up as people might expect, so “just” by accessing your hospital records in the hospital she works in, is very, very unlikely to mean she’s seen your GP records. There may be relevant correspondence between your GP and the hospital for any treatment recieved there though.

Ask for a copy of your hospital records and you’ll be able to see.

Pretty much everything in the post you quoted was wrong but I think most of us know that 😂 imagine if medical professionals had to seek approval from their manager every time they saw a patient.

Wow, loads of responses! I'll go through them when I can, but have to pop out again soon.

I have had my records accessed (along with most of my family) by a bored doctor on nights. I wouldn't say he knew me but he knew who I was.
It is the most horrible intrusion. I don't blame op for wanting to know and wanting to put a stop to it.
He accessed so many people that it was flagged by the system and an investigation informed us.