Patient Access wants my NHS number

[Bodoni]

Hoping for some info here please. The online health portal Patient Access run by EMIS recently requested permission to get my and my DD’s NHS numbers from our GP records. It seems obvious they should have them for practical reasons but given our present government and Cummings' nasty habits, we both independently suspected sinister motives. There was the hooha about selling our NHS medical records to the US some years ago. When I looked through the EMIS privacy notice, all I spotted was their right to record health apps I’d downloaded and pass that info on to advertisers. I don’t download health apps so that doesn’t bother me.

Is there more to this, does anyone know? Thanks!

I’ve been using Patient Access for about 5 years now. It makes life much easier, especially when ordering prescriptions. You need to input your NHS number to identify yourself otherwise there’d be all sorts of confusion; it’s so that your GP practice can access your health records for appointments and prescriptions. With all that’s gone over the last year, I sort of understand your reticence but the only alternative is not to sign up for it.

Thanks Chocca - we’d been on Patient Access for a while too and found it very useful for prescriptions and test results, but I’m baffled why EMIS didn’t already have my NHS number so what were the implications.

I'm not entirely sure what the issue is here? It's for access to medical services. Plus, if the Government was going to sell your info they'd probably not need to ask you for your NHS number.

Your NHS number helps you access medical services, and so you've been asked for it to access a medical service.

Don't look for conspiracies when you're doing something perfectly mundane.

😂 what?

Are you for real?

OK, don’t all get excited, I was just puzzled.