Online access

What you need to know about your GP online record

A Patient Guide

Practices are under a contractual obligation to provide their patients, over the age of 16 who have not opted out, with the facility to access their GP-held medical record online no later than 31 October 2023.

There are lots of benefits in being able to access your medical records online – such as management of appointments, test results and medications. You can look at your GP record before your appointment to see if there is anything you need to discuss with your doctor or nurse. People who have a long-term health problem like diabetes, have found that looking at their test results online can help them to stay healthy as they can see if their condition is improving or getting worse by looking at past test results.

What if I have concerns about something I see?

If you ever have any concerns or questions with something you see in your medical records online then please submit an e-consultation https://florey.accurx.com/p/B82050 to one of the team detailing your concerns and we can look into it and the most appropriate person can get in touch with you to discuss further. Please do not arrange an appointment to discuss these concerns.

A few things to think about:

There are a few things you need to think about before registering for online record access.

These are:

  • You may see test results before you have talked to your doctor about them. This may be when your surgery is closed. This means you will need to wait until an appointment is available to talk to your doctor about the results.
  • Information in your GP record might be wrong. If you find something you think isn’t right, you should contact your surgery. The staff will be able to answer your questions.
  • You cannot change information in your record yourself.
  • There may be information in your GP record that you did not know was there or that you had forgotten about. This could be an illness or an upsetting incident. If you see anything that worries you please speak to your surgery.
  • If you see someone else’s information in your record please log out immediately and let your surgery know as soon as possible.

What is in my medical records?

Your records include any information about your physical or mental health recorded by a healthcare professional. This includes records made by hospital staff, GPs, dentists, and opticians. It can also include health records kept by your employer.

Here are examples of the type of information which could be included:

  • Laboratory reports
  • Recordings of telephone calls
  • X-rays
  • Letters
  • Prescription charts
  • Clinical notes.

Who can use the NHS App?

The NHS App is for people aged 13 and over who are registered with a connected GP surgery. You can use some of the features without your GP surgery being connected.

How does it work?

With the NHS App you can:

  • Check your symptoms
  • Book appointments
  • Order repeat prescriptions
  • View your GP medical record
  • Register to be an organ donor
  • Choose how you data is used.
  • View vaccination history (including covid vaccinations)

How do I access it?

The NHS App is free to download from the App Store and Google Play.

Will I understand the records?

Your GP record is written to help medical staff look after you. This means that sometimes you may not understand everything you see.

If you find the information in your records difficult to then please submit an e-consultation https://florey.accurx.com/p/B82050 detailing your concerns. You can also go to the NHS Choices website. www.nhs.uk. NHS Choices is an NHS website for patients where you can look for information on illnesses, how to look after yourself, and find NHS services in your local area.

Your medical records may also contain abbreviations you do not understand. Click here to see a list of common abbreviations: https://shorturl.at/swDFX There may be other diagnosis that are referred to in your medical record that you are unsure of such as ‘CKD – Chronic Kidney Disease’.

The following websites may help you search for information on illnesses and test results:

These sites are not owned or checked by the NHS, but some people find them useful. If ultimately you are still unsure of a diagnosis or entry in your medical record then please discuss with the team via the e-consultation link above.

An easy read patient leaflet is available to view here: https://shorturl.at/arwxA and also in the download section of our website.

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