Every week I read that patients cannot get their test results from the GP, or told they are in the "normal range" without details. Some people are asking the receptionist for print outs and they are charged and others are told that their practice does not have the online access available.
EVERY GP COMPUTER SYSTEM IN ENGLAND HAS THE ABILITY TO LET YOU SEE YOUR TEST RESULTS AND SOME IF NOT ALL OF YOUR MEDICAL RECORD ONLINE. IF YOUR GP PRACTICE SAYS OTHERWISE THIS IS NOT TRUE AS THEY WOULD BE BREACHING THEIR GP CONTRACT. THIS HAS BEEN IN PLACE SINCE MARCH 2016.
You have to make a separate application in addition to the prescriptions, appt booking and address details. This is an higher level of access. You have the right to see this information without charge. Please do not take no for an answer.
Yes, ours have been available online for over a year, and they go back about 25 years, which has been interesting to see! All surgeries should be doing this by now.
Do you apply in the online system or direct to the surgery. I don't think o have seen any reference to it online where I book appointments/repeat prescriptions!
You need to go into the surgery and ask for a form. If there is an IT manager ask to speak to them. The receptionists at my GP practice assured me it was not possible as they had not been given the information. The practice manager should also be well aware of this requirement.
Next time I have a test I will complain to the Practice manager then escalate to my MP as I think it is a blanket CCG decision not to give patients access.
All I can access is prescriptions and vaccinations, nothing else in my medical record can be accessed. I make repeat prescription requests and can make GP appointments and that is it. I cannot see anything via the link about the practice having to give access to my medical records, test results etc. Am I missing something? Lol well apart from most of my braincells
You have to ask for the additional access and sign a form from your GP surgery. Take some ID as you may be required to prove who you are. If reception won't do it, ask to speak to the practice manager or the IT manager. Initially I was only given access as you describe but I went back and asked for the additional access.
Full medical records may not yet be available but blood test results are available so you need to pursue it if you want to access them. See my notes below.
Have you spoken to the practice manager and asked whether they realise they are in breach of their GP contract? Contact your local Healthwatch and ask why your surgery is not providing access.
Yes, you will, they are obliged to give you access to your blood tests so just ask to speak to the practice manager. Take some photo ID with you as you may need to prove your identity. In our practice, a nurse or doctor has to sign it off as additional proof of who you are so you might have to get the document signed at your next appointment. In any case, the practice cannot refuse access. If you don't gain access write a letter to the practice manager and copy your local Healthwatch into the letter but contact them first.
Thank you Nanaedake for your reply. Sorry I should have said that there is no issue getting blood test results printed off, they are very accommodating. The big issue is finding somewhere to park! Online would be much more convenient for me. I will contact practice manager next week.
My surgery website looks exactly as Carnation describes. I have no problem getting printouts but it would be useful to have online access. I will also ask. Thanks for info.
I can get test results online but not all past records which would require considerable work for a surgery to input.I suspect some smaller practices may not have complied with going online. The one or two GP surgeries have been under pressure to amalgamate for a decade or more.
Access is only to "detailed coded" under the present contract. The aim is for pts to have access to all their record by 2018. My various GP practices have not done handwritten notes for over 30 years they input on a computer as I am sure your GP will have done. The computer systems have a facility by using a check box to allow you to see this record which is already in place. However the GP surgery will have work checking to see if you have anything in your hx which may cause upset or harm. Also references to third parties have to be hidden. It is not about doing large amounts of work creating records they are already there. Hope this explanation clarifies
What does "detailed coded" mean please. I can see coded entries from the date I got access . Does this mean what they allow you to see and they have another set is entries for their eyes only or am i being too cynical?
No you are not cynical at all just spot on. GP practices have been given a choice on how much they wish to share. Some GP practices share every bit of the record as they want to encourage a good and responsible relationship with their patients and work as partners. Others I am afraid still have a rather patriarchal view that patients do not need to know their details and that the GP's advice is sufficient. Juliet Bauer Head of Patient experience for NHS England does say we should be able to access our full record by 2018. There needs to be a huge culture change for this to happen and it needs to be part of the GP contract.
My G.P. Uses Vision Online or something. I can only make appointments or request prescriptions and see allergies. Do I need to ask for a higher level of access?
I will say again that GP practices cannot legally decide not to participate in online record access. It is part of their contract and this has been in place since March 2016. A lot of preparation and information was given to them prior to that to make sure they were all compliant by that date. If anyone does email Juliet.bauer@nhs.net head of patient experience please pm me as I can raise the numbers with her.
I am glad that it works for a few people! There seems to be a lot of misinformation and confusion by the posts on here. It should have been available by March 2016 but better late than never. I use mine regularly to check TFT and blood tests in addition to appt making and prescriptions. It is most definitely worth doing.
Yes however some areas work together so Records can be shared between primary and secondary care. My OH works on this.
The great thing about patients having access to GP records is that you can do what I did with my Endo, used my mobile phone to log in and show him my latest blood and TFT. If you have the access you can share your medical information with other health professionals which is useful as they can see trends in results as can you using the graph features.
DJR1 Called in at the surgery, told them I am registered online for prescriptions and appointments and would like to register for access to medical records/blood tests etc. Reply...thats not available , it will be one day, no one can access that info. I said, no one from this surgery, reply... no one anywhere!
I pointed out that she was incorrect and that I thought this was to be available after March 2016, it will be one day was the response!
Do you live in England? Please contact PatientOnline this is the NHS England group that deal with this, I think there is a phone no on the website too.
england.patient-online@nhs.net
You could also copy in
Juliet.bauer@nhs.net
If you pm me the practice name I will investigate for you. They are in breach of the GP contract you have asked and they HAVE to give them to you. Do not give up! Was this the receptionist telling you this?
I have contacted Patient Services Ltd who are running the system, awaiting their reply. If I ask for test results the surgery do give them to me, over the phone & print a copy if asked for but there is nothing on the system for me to view other than appointments and prescriptions. What is the deadline date for this?
March 2016! if you contact patient online they will liaise with your GP for you. It is likely you have not been into the surgery to ask for the spplication form for higher level access. Please see all my other posts.
Give details of the GP practice pt online which is an NHS group will contact them for you and will get them to set it up. GP receptionists do not know about the existence of the service as they have no training. I had 3 contradicting me at once at my surgery.
I have used england.patient-online@nhs.net
They will email you straight back. Please contact them. The more people who contact them the better. There is a view that patients are not interested in their medical record as there is poor uptake! This is not true it is an enormous fight to get them. Please let me know how you get on.
Thank you Shelley I have sent a long email to the Director of Digital Experience for NHS England today. I need all the back up I can get. Please let me know what they do about it!
Your enquiry has been allocated a reference number of .......... Please quote this reference number in any further communication regarding this issue.
I can confirm The Summary Care Record (SCR) is an electronic summary of key health information.
It holds essential information, derived from the patient’s GP record and held securely on the NHS ‘national Spine’. The core details are: medications, allergies and adverse reactions. Additional information can be included at the request (or with the explicit consent) of the patient. For example, significant medical history.
The SCR enables services other than the patient’s GP to obtain important patient information, quickly. For example A&E departments, the ambulance service, walk in centres, out of hours GPs, hospital pharmacies. Patients will be asked for ‘Permission to View’ their SCR before it is accessed. If they cannot ask the patient (for example if they are unconscious or otherwise unable to communicate), healthcare staff may look at the record without asking, because they consider that this is in the patient's best interest. If they have to do this, this will be recorded and checked to ensure that the access was appropriate.
Patients have the option to opt out of having a SCR, in which case they should contact their GP and complete an opt-out form.
FURTHER INFORMATION
There are links to patient information on the NHS Digital website (see More details). Patients can also contact NHS Digital by phone: 0300 303 5678 or email: enquiries@nhsdigital.nhs.uk
If you require any further information or wish to speak to someone about your enquiry, please contact NHS England at the email address and telephone number shown below.
Thats exactly what I asked, even explained the receptionists response when I went into the surgery to ask about it! Seems to me nobody has a clue whats going on. About par for the course with NHS.
It is so infuriating! Why not send a follow up email with your case number and state you want Access to your GP Detailed Coded access so you can see your GP medical record. You are not asking to view your summary care record.
If you want to pm me about this I have contact with a national director. If you can give me the name of the surgery etc he may look at it. I have also complained about my practice and things are moving
We have to keep fighting I'm afraid and every person who does will eventually make change
Aaaaaargh!! Reply, speak to practice manager and "discuss what online services they currently offer at the surgery" I'm done with this one, before I commit murder or suicide or both.
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Accessing blood test results from GP
