Can nurses access my health records?

[RLEOM]

(We all live in England, UK)

My ex is dating a nurse who was trying to split our family up when our baby was born as she was in love with him. I don't trust her as far as I could throw her and know she'd been jealous of me being with him, and probably still wary of me seeing as ex and I have to have contact due to our daughter.

She works in a hospital, a private hospital, and I worry she'll be able to access my records, some of which I wouldn't my ex to know about, or anyone for that matter.

Would she be able to access my medical history? Is there anything I can do to stop her or find out if she has?

I know it might sound far-fetched but I feel very uncomfortable knowing this. She babysat for us once after our daughter was born (I wasn't aware she was in love with him at the time, just wondered why she was constantly coming to see us when she'd avoided us since we'd got together) and I noticed some of my stuff had been touched, so her motives where not to give us a night to ourselves but to snoop on us.

She's a bloody weirdo who I don't want near my daughter but I have no choice. I can't stop her seeing my child but I must be able to stop her from seeing my private records.

If she works at a private hospital I don't think she'll be able to access NHS records at all.

But in the NHS, any attempt she was to make to access any records would be logged on the systems so it can be checked. If she attempted to access any record without a legitimate reason she would lose her job.

No she won’t unless you’ve been treated by the private hospital. As they are private they won’t have access to NHS records nor will they have the same system as the NHS.

RLEOM - It's a sackable offence to access anyone's notes who you have no role in caring for. All of our searches etc, are flagged with our login details. I think the Caldicott Priciples also apply to private health care. Hope this helps to put your mind at rest.

No, she can't access your GP records so please don't worry.

Hi I work in the nhs have you had treatment in the hospital she works at ? If it's a private hospital and you havnt been seen there no she wouldn't be able to. You would only have a medical record there if you have been seen at the hospital. If it was an nhs hospital and in the same trust then they can sometimes acsess things like results. If you are talking about your GP medical records no then they can only be acsessed at the surgery. If you have been to that hospital then yes she could see your record but it records in your records any staff member that has acsessed your record.

I dont think she can from a private hospital. But if she did it from an nhs hospital she would need to log on so it would be very traceable. It's a massive massive no no and she would probably lose her job if it came out. So I doubt she would do it.

Even in a private hospital, it would be a serious GDPR violation. I work for a private non-NHS organisation (not a hospital), I can’t just look a people’s records. She’d have to have access and a reason (she doesn’t have either) and it would likely all be traceable. She’d be in big trouble.

She could lose her registration if she did access them and was caught

Our NHS system knows everything we've looked at or searched for, even checking on a patient no longer in our care is a disciplinary matter

I am a senior nurse and work for the NHS. I have also worked in the private sector. GP records can indeed be accessed from an NHS hospital by certain departments and services, I in fact access GP systems and records from the hospital daily. If this nurse works in the private sector she’d only be able to access records held by her employer -including referrals which are likely to include your past medical history- if you had been treated there. Accessing patient documentation without a valid reason is an offence. It is unlikely that a professional would risk their registration in such a reckless way. Hope this puts your mind at ease.

Depending on your circumstances, treatments out with the NHS / private hospital might be shared with your GP.

Most health related IT systems don’t talk to each other (that’s a whole other thread) so your GP might get a summary of what happened at private hospital if it was relevant to your ongoing care/ health problem.

In NHS hospitals, technically anyone with a login can read the records of anyone in the system ...but checks are done and if a staff member has checked the records of someone not involved in their direct care, they will be disciplined. But no audit uncovers everything.

If she does start discussing stuff that isn’t known in the family circle, then you can absolutely ask for her access to be checked (fair warning policy). She could be sacked as it’s not taken lightly.

Remember also that most feelings between A&E, private hospitals to GPs are fairly minimal without full details. You might have nothing to worry about .

Dealings not feelings !