Doctors surgery of DS 11yo has removed my proxy access - normal?

[PieceOfString]

I have had a letter from ds doctors surgery advising me that my access to his medical records is removed and he must now self-manage his own access to his GP and all that entails (text reminders for repeat prescriptions etc.
I was surprised, ultimately personal independence is what we as parents are working towards of course, but I just was expecting it to be more gradual / at time of his own choosing / older age.
11 just seems to be young? Is this normal? Do other people find their 11yo are ready to take up managing their own repeat prescriptions etc? fwiw he doesn't have any serious conditions just asthma which he has a repeat for.
I was going to speak to the surgery to enquire if this is practice policy or a national thing but thought they might take umbrage and actually I'm wondering if it is my expectations which are out of line as I navigate this stuff for the first time?

@QueenHofScotland

Oh wow this is bizarre. I was thinking it must be an error but clearly not.

My 11 year old wouldn’t have a clue. And doesn’t have a proper phone so couldn’t receive texts or emails 😂

Reminds me of the time when we called NHS 24 as DD was lightheaded (tonsillitis). The adviser asked to speak to her to go through the questions - she was 9, almost 10. They asked if there was any chance she could be pregnant

God you’ve broken a memory. I went for a flu jab at her age and the nurse asked me the same.

My mum was aghast with a ‘she’s ten!’

The nurse responded ‘oh she looks older’

I distinctly remember being in my pe kit

I’ve got a 17 and a 15 year old and not heard anything from the doctor about this. I use the Lloyds pharmacy app to manage the families prescriptions and have all 3 of us on there, so I know who has what medication etc...

The issue with assuming teens will withdraw their consent if they want to is that, if their parents have proxy access since they were quite young, they may not be aware that they can access information.

11 is very young but there have to be safeguards in place for vulnerable children who may well need privacy at that age.

Nobody is saying you can’t do medical stuff for your 11 year old or that they have to see a Dr on their own. If your DC is happy for you to carry on, just get them to register for online access and give you the login details.

We had this when my son was 11. I was quite surprised, but it was no bother for him to sign a form for me still to have access to everything. Although it seems like hassle if it gives a few children confidentially if needed/wanted then it’s a minor inconvenience that’s worth it. It does make me chuckle though, when we get two letters in the post about appointments, one addresses to him, and one to me. What a waste!

Our surgery does the same. I have 3 DDs. DD1 has SN and it means I would have to visit the surgery or the pharmacy to order her medications, then revisit once they're in. Fortunately, the pharmacy saw sense and said I can phone them to order. DD1 is not able to phone for appointments and DD2 (14, ASD) simply won't talk on the phone.

My dh (a hospital consultant) is mystified by all of this. He can’t take consent for treatment for anyone under 16, and even 16 and 17 year olds he wouldn’t dream of starting any kind of treatment without an adult involved.
He says this rule by the GP surgeries is acting as a barrier to children being able to access healthcare.

Let's be clear. This is not about 11 year olds having to take responsibility for their own healthcare. It is not about parents not being able to book appointments, request repeat prescriptions or attending appointments with their children.

@aftonwater what is it about then?

@aftonwater

Let's be clear. This is not about 11 year olds having to take responsibility for their own healthcare. It is not about parents not being able to book appointments, request repeat prescriptions or attending appointments with their children.

Eh? I absolutely am not allowed to request a repeat prescription for 12 year old ds anymore, the surgery made that crystal clear!

It's about Information Governance. Data Control. This is an extract from the RCGP guidance:

^Children - It is also possible to allow proxy access for a child up to their 11th birthday to someone who has parental responsibility for the child. As young people mature in their teens, there may be something that they do not want their parents to know about. parental access to
their GP online services may inhibit their use of health services. To avoid this, you should switch off parental proxy access to a child’s Patient Online services at their 11th birthday. It is helpful to
write to patient’s parents six months earlier to tell them that it will happen. This gives them time to ask the practice if they feel that in their child would benefit from continued proxy access.^

Unfortunately there really are young teenagers who have stuff going on in their lives that they don't want their parents to know about. Sad isn't it?

Oh thank you, this thread explains why proxy access to my son's online account was removed last summer - I had presumed it was a system error but, as I never really used the access, it didn't bother me. We never received a letter to advise us, though; and if they had looked at his health record for even just a brief moment, they would have seen that he has severe learning disability and in no way is capable of managing his own access.

@JenniferAllisonPhillipaSue

Oh thank you, this thread explains why proxy access to my son's online account was removed last summer - I had presumed it was a system error but, as I never really used the access, it didn't bother me. We never received a letter to advise us, though; and if they had looked at his health record for even just a brief moment, they would have seen that he has severe learning disability and in no way is capable of managing his own access.

Yes this is part of the problem, no patient centred decision making. Tick boxes being ticked that’s all.

Just to add to this craziness, I was caught at work today, the dentist wouldn't see my 15 year old without me. So 11 year old good to go at the docs but 15 too young at the dentist.