Medical Records Access

[Matheous-2]

Any ABrs arranged/paid to have online access to your Medical History?
Just wondering if this is a FULL access- including any test results you had past or currently?

[Matheous-2]

Just want to add- ones personal medical records- NOT a relative.

[Peter Pedant]

erm I am not sure this service is available

you have of course a right to your own records under the old Medical access record act of around 1991
and is now part of the Data Protection Act 1998

this does NOT give you a right of access to anyone elses

There was an abortive attempt to computerise everyone's records in the UK but this foundered on all sorts of things including the doctors pointing out that confidentiality would be easily breached. I think £1 bn went down the drain - the govt also changed spec on a monthly basis

[Peter Pedant]

as for doing it in real time

if you can, it has completely passed me by

[Baldric]

Lots of info here

http://www.nhs.uk/chq/pages/1309.aspx?categoryid=68

[vetuste_ennemi]

Governments (whether national or local) are no good at getting efficient computer systems designed, written and implemented, Peter.

[Buenchico]

The disclosure rules (under the Data Protection Act) require that you should be provided with ALL information that's currently held about you. Obviously there might be some very old information which has been destroyed but, if the information is on file, you should be provided with it if you hand over yout fifty quid.

However access won't be 'online', simply because there's no system for doing so. Much of the information held about your medical history will probably still only be in paper files.

[Peter Pedant]

thx balders

I was just about to diiiiiie as I thought damn there is on line access ....
but there clearly isnt
a subject access request cost I am pretty sure is ltd to a tenner
oh and identification ( s7 DPA)

My brother assembled using this legislation a decent set of his own notes as he toted them around to get an operation that no one wanted to do ( auccessful as is turned out )

Patient held notes have been trialled and repeatedly shown to be crap ( two sets of notes hospital and patient-held which are discordant )

and finally vetuste - disability and motability is pretty well computerised I was astounded to find out - name and ni number will unlock everything

and there is another one .... oh yes registering a death then Do Once and Share really does work. The clerk who was dealing with me as one of the un-dead ( OK it was registering someone else's ) - exclaimed after many goes at "the computer will say no" and " I dont know why I am doing this I rayly dont " she exclaimed "oh gawd you're right it was registered elsewhere five days ago ......"

[Peter Pedant]

chris there was amending legislation a few years ago
so that paper records did not escaaaaape ! for hospital records anyway

the medical records departments are much better now thn even five years ago whether or not it is due to swingeing fines for breach of confidentiality or not

[Buenchico]

The limit for 'subject access request' fees, PP, is set at £10 for most data but it's £2 for credit reference agency data and £50 for medical records. (Education data is also different from the normal £10 maximum fee but it varies between £1 and £50, dependant upon the number of pages).

A £10 maximum fee only applies to medical records held solely on computer. For full access to records which are wholly, or partly, on paper, the £50 limit applies.

[Matheous-2]

Thanks a lot guys...you've all given me food for thought- Perhaps disappointed that's not possible online AND that there seems to be a GP & 'discordant' patient version!

[237SJ]

The £50 charge is for if you wish to obtain a copy of the records. To just see them (whether held on paper or computer or a mixture of both) costs £10

[vetuste_ennemi]

"What medication is she on?" should be a redundant question in a computerised NHS, Peter, but is a question still asked. I was asked this at the Royal Marsden Fulham thirty odd years ago. The enquiry was about prescriptions given by the sister hospital near Sutton in Surrey. Dots disconnected understandable then, but not now, surely?

[Eve]

There has been some progress in that my GP surgery can now see blood results which the hospital do and (I assume) vice versa given they are done at the hospital. Comes in useful for me.

I had a call to get a care plan done with my GP not too long ago, it's meant to be shared apparently so they (hospitals I assume) can see things like some medication I'm on, some medical conditions, allergies, contact details, mobility issues etc... although whether it works in practice remains to be seen. It also has things to do with resuscitation on if appropriate in the circumstances. I just had it updated for a possible issue with a medicine. Useful in an emergency if it works as they should be aware of my drug allergy especially.

[woofgang]

The NHS can “redact” medical records if they contain information relating to another person, information which would breach another person’s right to confidentiality, information which might put another person at risk (including a staff member) or information which might be injurious to the person making the request. This most often happens when the subject of the record has mental health issues and even then is, I understand, rarely used. Penalties for misuse of the rules for redaction are swingeing.

[Peter Pedant]

oops matheous

// AND that there seems to be a GP & 'discordant' patient version!//

oops re read my post
patient held records were trialled and found to be wanting and the idea abandoned so ...... there shouldnt be discordant notes to confuse anyone.

and vetuste - everyone should know what drugs the pt is on if computerised .... o good one. I am sorry there was a cack up at the Royal Marsden - probably one of your parents - I dont take any chances and keep a list which I think a doctor can expect of a patient
have dauno

To use a chemotherapy example - the fact that I was given daunorubicin last year doesnt mean I am on it ( in fact I am dauno-toxic )
I certainly dont want an angel coming up with a large syringe of red death [as it is called in the sluice] and saying and doing ZOOP ! this is what you are getting this week boyo !

and of course drugs inappropriately prescribed are still on the schedule ( which I have ALSO been the wrong end of )

[Peter Pedant]

// The NHS can “redact” medical records if they contain information relating to another person, information which would breach another person’s right to confidentiality, information which might put another person at risk (including a staff member) or information which might be injurious to the person making the request. //

this is very very uncommon

like I have heard about it but not seen it

paper notes the teaching was to put a line through the para / entry and clearly label it "not this patient" and then sign and date the crossing out

and it pretty obvious that this would NOT be disclosable to the 'wrong' patient as it is not his data
[ I mean all these rules are pretty obvious to be honest ]

I have seen once - this childs arm is clearly not broken corrected unlawfully to this childs arm is clearly broken
and it caused so much trouble that went on and on and on ( for years )
The broken arm you mean ? No the trouble over tarting up notes.

[woofgang]

The stuff I was thinking of PP is where someone close to the patient has expressed concerns or made statements of fact about the patient but would be at risk if the patient found out where the information had come from or has said things like “You can't tell them I told you, they would never speak to me again” Often its possible to document the information without identifying the person at risk but not always. Good practice is to try to get the issue discussed openly between all parties or not document the information, but sometimes this is just not possible.