Practice boundary
To register a new patient, you will need to live within our practice boundary.
Sharing your health record
What is your health record?
Your health record contains all the clinical information about the care you receive. When you need medical assistance it is essential that clinicians can securely access your health record. This allows them to have the necessary information about your medical background to help them identify the best way to help you. This information may include your medical history, medications and allergies.
Why is sharing important?
Health records about you can be held in various places, including your GP practice and any hospital where you have had treatment. Sharing your health record will ensure you receive the best possible care and treatment wherever you are and whenever you need it. Choosing not to share your health record could have an impact on the future care and treatment you receive.
Below are some examples of how sharing your health record can benefit you:
- Sharing your contact details This will ensure you receive any medical appointments without delay.
- Sharing your medical history This will ensure emergency services accurately assess you if needed.
- Sharing your medication list This will ensure that you receive the most appropriate medication.
- Sharing your allergies This will prevent you being given something to which you are allergic.
- Sharing your test results This will prevent further unnecessary tests being required.
Is my health record secure?
Yes. There are safeguards in place to make sure only organisations you have authorised to view your records can do so. You can also request information regarding who has accessed your information from both within and outside of your surgery.
Can I decide who I share my health record with?
Yes. You decide who has access to your health record. For your health record to be shared between organisations that provide care to you, your consent must be gained.
Can I change my mind?
Yes. You can change your mind at any time about sharing your health record, please just let us know.
Can someone else consent on my behalf?
If you do not have capacity to consent and have a Lasting Power of Attorney, they may consent on your behalf. If you do not have a Lasting Power of Attorney, then a decision in best interests can be made by those caring for you.
What about parental responsibility?
If you have parental responsibility and your child is not able to make an informed decision for themselves, then you can make a decision about information sharing on behalf of your child. If your child is competent then this must be their decision.
What is your Summary Care Record?
Your Summary Care Record contains basic information including your contact details, NHS number, medications and allergies. This can be viewed by GP practices, Hospitals and the Emergency Services. If you do not want a Summary Care Record, please ask your GP practice for the appropriate opt out form. With your consent, additional information can be added to create an Enhanced Summary Care Record. This could include your care plans which will help ensure that you receive the appropriate care in the future.
For further information, please visit: www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/thenhs/records
Access to GP online services
If you wish to, you can now use the internet (via computer or mobile app) to book appointments, request repeat prescriptions for any medications you take regularly and look at your medical record online. You can also still use the telephone or call in to the surgery for any of these services as well. It’s your choice.
It will be your responsibility to keep your login details and password safe and secure. If you know or suspect that your record has been accessed by someone that you have not agreed should see it, then you should change your password immediately. If you are unable to do this for some reason, we recommend that you contact the practice so that they can remove online access until you are able to reset your password.
If you print out any information from your record, it is also your responsibility to keep this secure. If you are at all worried about keeping printed copies safe, we recommend that you do not make copies at all.
During the working day it is sometimes necessary for practice staff to input into your record, for example, to attach a document that has been received, or update your information. Therefore you will notice admin/reception staff names alongside some of your medical information – this is quite normal.
The definition of a full medical record is all the information that is held in a patient’s record; this includes letters, documents, and any free text which has been added by practice staff, usually the GP. The coded record is all the information that is in the record in coded form, such as diagnoses, signs and symptoms (such as coughing, headache etc.) but excludes letters, documents and free text.
Before you apply for online access to your record, there are some other things to consider. Although the chances of any of these things happening are very small, you will be asked that you have read and understood the following before you are given login details.
- Forgotten history: There may be something you have forgotten about in your record that you might find upsetting.
- Abnormal results or bad news: If your GP has given you access to test results or letters, you may see something that you find upsetting to you. This may occur before you have spoken to your doctor or while the surgery is closed and you cannot contact them.
- Choosing to share your information with someone: It’s up to you whether or not you share your information with others – perhaps family members or carers. It’s your choice, but also your responsibility to keep the information safe and secure.
- Coercion: If you think you may be pressured into revealing details from your patient record to someone else against your will, it is best that you do not register for access at this time.
- Misunderstood information: Your medical record is designed to be used by clinical professionals to ensure that you receive the best possible care. Some of the information within your medical record may be highly technical, written by specialists and not easily understood. If you require further clarification, please contact the surgery for a clearer explanation.
- Information about someone else: If you spot something in the record that is not about you or notice any other errors, please log out of the system immediately and contact the practice as soon as possible.
For further information, please visit: NHS online services – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Parental responsibility
- Biological mother automatically have parental responsibility and it is only lost through adoption.
- Biological fathers who are married to the mother at the time of birth have parental responsibility.
- Unmarried fathers of children born after 01/12/2003 have parental responsibility if they are registered on the birth certificate.
- Other unmarried fathers can gain parent responsibility through a parental responsibility agreement (requiring the mother’s co-operation) or through the courts.
- The local authority (county council) shares parental responsibility with the parent(s) if the child is subject to a care order (this does not apply if the child is in voluntary care-section 20 care). When parental responsibility is shared with the local authority the child’s social worker can consent for that child. A foster carer cannot consent and does not have parental responsibility.
- Step parents and registered civil partners of biological parents do not have parental responsibility.
- Adoptive parents gain parental responsibility at adoption and biological parents lose it.