Page 6 | 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

JadedCat · 09/02/2025 16:08

Autther · 09/02/2025 11:54

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.

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@Autther Hope your post made you feel big and clever. I'm sure the OP found it immensely helpful and entertaining too.

Autther · 09/02/2025 16:11

JadedCat · 09/02/2025 16:08

@Autther Hope your post made you feel big and clever. I'm sure the OP found it immensely helpful and entertaining too.

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Wow I wasn't even talking about what you had written. Brilliant reading comprehension on MN as usual

RoamingGnome · 09/02/2025 16:16

The organisation I work for has multiple computer systems - so main electronic records, a separate ordering system for tests and a separate radiology viewing system. They say use is audited but I've no idea what's recorded or how long that data is held for. I doubt the older systems record who logs in the views records without making any changes - and you can deduce quite a lot from what a scan request says - I frequently have to do that when the full old notes aren't available.

Original poster

Starrynight567 · 09/02/2025 17:09

LifeIsGreatForUnicorns · 09/02/2025 08:36

Not sure this is relevant but I get a notification via the NHS app when the Dr (or medical staff at the surgery) go into my records (but I’ve had no treatment at a hospital so don’t know if that would show). E.g. I got a notification that they had updated my notes with my latest blood pressure reading that I had sent in (via the klinik link)

I haven't got the app, I'll sort that out first.

OP posts:

Original poster

Starrynight567 · 09/02/2025 17:10

Goldengirl123 · 09/02/2025 08:41

If she has looked at your records, depending on which system is used, then her initials would come up to show that she has logged into your records. Is she a surgery nurse or a hospital nurse?

Hospital nurse

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Londonrach1 · 09/02/2025 17:13

Please reread my post. .patients you are seeing you can access the records without a manager. Those eg next door, the man down the road who are not on my patient list I will have to fill out a form why I needed to access the patients notes and the manager would have to agree access. As a professional we also have to inform the manager if a patient comes in who we know personally and someone else in the team would see them. You can't mix professional or personal relationships. The NHS has alot of safe guards to stop that. In the ex dp has jumped through a lot of form filling of course she will be sacked and op needs to go via pals and the correct channels. Just was hoping to put ops mind at rest that it us very hard to access patients records that are not a patient of yours and it is limited too to just the area you need to access and gp records are kept separate....

Original poster

Starrynight567 · 09/02/2025 17:17

UncharteredWaters · 09/02/2025 08:43

I’d make pretty certain you’re not overreacting first. She will know she’s been investigated and I imagine that will definitely affect your relationship with ex DP.

If that accusation was made to my partner and I felt it was malicious (and you don’t have a good relationship already) you’re damn right you’d be on the ‘minimal contact’ ‘in writing/text/app’ about the kids only and the kids would know why given fheir ages.

I'm hoping she'd only find out that she was being investigated IF it turned out she had gone through my records.

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Original poster

Starrynight567 · 09/02/2025 17:19

Janiebirdy · 09/02/2025 08:40

Does anyone else know about this specific health info?

Nobody who has anything to do with either my ex or his wife

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PeriPeriMam · 09/02/2025 17:25

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.

I was going to say this. Very easy to access records in an electronic system but you have to have reason to do so, there's a definite digital audit trail, and it's a serious offence to poke around in someone else's records without legitimate cause. If you have good reason to suspect this has really happened you could also ask the NMC for advice.

Original poster

Starrynight567 · 09/02/2025 17:25

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 .

People come up with all sorts of nonsense when things don't personally affect them, but I'm sure if they were wondering if someone's possibly looked at their records, then I'm sure they'd want to know too.

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Original poster

Starrynight567 · 09/02/2025 17:28

Lanzarotelady · 09/02/2025 09:23

Its not hard at all.
Its very easy

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That's what concerns me.

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NeedToAskPlease · 09/02/2025 17:40

The hospital l work at doesn't have "hard copies" anymore. Everything has been scanned onto Mediviewer.

This can be accessed by anyone who has a login... and as a nurse she will have.

She may have got someone else to login for her... but you could still flag that person

Original poster

Starrynight567 · 09/02/2025 17:42

Thank you for all the replies. I realise now how easy it must be to be able to look through someone's records, and although I know it's strictly prohibited to do so, I imagine that some unscrupulous people would still risk their jobs to do so.

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ChaosNegotiator · 09/02/2025 18:04

Londonrach1 · 09/02/2025 17:13

Please reread my post. .patients you are seeing you can access the records without a manager. Those eg next door, the man down the road who are not on my patient list I will have to fill out a form why I needed to access the patients notes and the manager would have to agree access. As a professional we also have to inform the manager if a patient comes in who we know personally and someone else in the team would see them. You can't mix professional or personal relationships. The NHS has alot of safe guards to stop that. In the ex dp has jumped through a lot of form filling of course she will be sacked and op needs to go via pals and the correct channels. Just was hoping to put ops mind at rest that it us very hard to access patients records that are not a patient of yours and it is limited too to just the area you need to access and gp records are kept separate....

This is really just not true in most hospital trusts. I can access the records of every single person who has ever had an appointment within my trust. The nature of my job isn't one where I have a limited list of patients assigned to me, there is the potential for me to need to access the record of almost anyone being treated in the trust and I can.

Some of the records have an extra layer of protection where I have to fill in why I'm accessing it and enter my password again (presumably so I can't claim I left myself logged in and someone else did it) but no approval needed from my manager or anyone else.

I don't access records unless I am doing it for professional reasons, that would be immoral and I would risk losing my job, but there's nothing within the system that stops me (other than auditing that I have accessed it so that I could be caught and punished later).

Creameded · 09/02/2025 18:10

Another one who would be furious at my records being accessed.

I would definitely want to know and I wouldn't give a damn if she gets caught and it causes her employment problems.

Bertielong3 · 09/02/2025 18:15

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This message has been withdrawn at the poster's request

Creameded · 09/02/2025 18:20

Surely you just express your concerns that your files have been accessed without having to suggest who it is?.

If they come back with nothing, then it is a non issue.

OnGoldenPond · 09/02/2025 19:22

custardpyjamas · 09/02/2025 08:25

There may theoretically be a log of everyone who looks at your records, and it may be more or less accurate for electronic records, although I don't know if everyone logs in and out every time they leave the desk for a moment if they are working on a terminal in a hospital surgery for instance. I think paper records in files would be pretty vulnerable to anyone with access to the filing system. How motivated would she be to sneak a peak on someone else's log in, or to have a quick rummage through a filing cabinet while looking for some records she needs to retrieve? I don't think you could ever be sure she hasn't seen some of your records, if she has the opportunity is really motivated and sneaky about it.

And as a patient if you are sitting waiting for a hospital appointment there are often piles of files on the reception desk and people wheeling around and parking trolleys full of files it never seems exactly secure you just assume no one is that interested in your stuff. Nurses wander up rummage through the files wander off all the time, no idea what they are doing exactly you just assume it's all necessary.

If staff working on confidential material don't lock their screens every time they leave their desks they are guilty of serious breach of security measures required for GDPR compliance. That has been the case for every place I have worked at.

OnGoldenPond · 09/02/2025 19:24

LifeIsGreatForUnicorns · 09/02/2025 08:36

Not sure this is relevant but I get a notification via the NHS app when the Dr (or medical staff at the surgery) go into my records (but I’ve had no treatment at a hospital so don’t know if that would show). E.g. I got a notification that they had updated my notes with my latest blood pressure reading that I had sent in (via the klinik link)

I don't think you get a notification every time someone reads your notes, only if they make changes.

Autther · 09/02/2025 19:32

Londonrach1 · 09/02/2025 17:13

Please reread my post. .patients you are seeing you can access the records without a manager. Those eg next door, the man down the road who are not on my patient list I will have to fill out a form why I needed to access the patients notes and the manager would have to agree access. As a professional we also have to inform the manager if a patient comes in who we know personally and someone else in the team would see them. You can't mix professional or personal relationships. The NHS has alot of safe guards to stop that. In the ex dp has jumped through a lot of form filling of course she will be sacked and op needs to go via pals and the correct channels. Just was hoping to put ops mind at rest that it us very hard to access patients records that are not a patient of yours and it is limited too to just the area you need to access and gp records are kept separate....

But that's still not true. Maybe for the one job that you did but it is incredibly easy to access anyone's records if your work involves using the patient record system in a hospital.

DollydaydreamTheThird · 09/02/2025 22:09

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

Not in my trust. Don't you have electronic patient records?? I can look up anyone who has ever had any contact at our hospital if I wanted to.

DollydaydreamTheThird · 09/02/2025 22:14

Dreamerinme · 09/02/2025 08:14

I’m sure I’ve read that it’s a sackable offence to look at medical records, including your own (excl NHS App of course), without a specific medical need regarding a patient you are treating. So, she’d have to be incredibly dumb or have huge confidence that she would never be found out.

As others have said do a subject access request etc but you’d also have to have a think about what you would do if it does come back that she has accessed your records. Would you ignore or lay a complaint? How far would you be prepared to take it? If she has never treated you in a medical capacity then why would she be accessing your record except for unprofessional purposes.

The trust I work out people were looking at a celebrity's records to see what was happening. They didn't get sacked,mainly because some of them were consultants and we all know they don't get sacked unless they've managed to kill a shit load of people negligently.

Ariela · 09/02/2025 23:40

If she works in the same hospital where you had an appointment, can you be sure she didn't see you at the hospital, and clocked which department you went into (but you didn't see her). Where does she work in relation to where you went, and would you have been there at shift changeover time particularly, or would her role have meant she moved around in the hospital and could have seen you arriving or leaving a department?
I ask because in the last 9 months I have twice randomly bumped into a particular nursing friend in the corridors when visiting different hospital departments (once accompanying a friend to an appointment, once visiting an in-patient).

Edited to add that this could be why she was asking your DC 'in a roundabout way' because she only knows you went to that department/area of the hospital.
You could send word back via the DC that you just realised why she asked and that was because she must have seen you when you visited a friend who was ill/went for your 3 yearly mammogram/some other excuse.

Heathershimmerwinner · 09/02/2025 23:48

I know a nurse who went to court after she accessed a few of her neighbours and friends medical records. I think this was her second time doing this, reason why it went to court. It was all over our local fb page. It must have been embarrassing

KidsDr · 09/02/2025 23:52

Londonrach1 · 09/02/2025 17:13

Please reread my post. .patients you are seeing you can access the records without a manager. Those eg next door, the man down the road who are not on my patient list I will have to fill out a form why I needed to access the patients notes and the manager would have to agree access. As a professional we also have to inform the manager if a patient comes in who we know personally and someone else in the team would see them. You can't mix professional or personal relationships. The NHS has alot of safe guards to stop that. In the ex dp has jumped through a lot of form filling of course she will be sacked and op needs to go via pals and the correct channels. Just was hoping to put ops mind at rest that it us very hard to access patients records that are not a patient of yours and it is limited too to just the area you need to access and gp records are kept separate....

Unfortunately this isn't my experience at all. I've never worked anywhere where there are any safeguards in place other than the vague notion that your access could at some point be audited, to prevent me from looking up any patient's full medical notes / results (at that particular NHS trust) at a whim, whether they are allocated to me/my team or not. It's so easy to do, the wrong notes are accessed by accident all the time.

However I believe they are audited so if @Starrynight567 you were to express your concerns it could probably be looked into. Perhaps you could ask generally about inappropriate access to your notes without naming the person you are concerned about?