GP action required for access to patient records through NHS app

As reported by the NHS, immediate action is required by general practices to ensure that they are ready for the planned change on 1 November 2022, and their clinical system is updated to allow prospective (future) record access to patients

Patients with online accounts such as through the NHS App will be able to read new entries, including free text, in their health record. This applies to patients whose practices use the TPP and EMIS systems. General practice will be able to customise or remove access for individuals if this is deemed inappropriate. 

The change supports NHS Long Term Plan commitments to provide patients with digital access to their health records. It means GPs will need to consider the potential impact of each entry, including documents and test results, as they add them to a patient’s record. Patients will not see personal information – such as test results – until they have been checked and filed, giving clinicians the chance to contact and speak to patients first.

Research shows that increasing numbers of patients want easy access to health information about them, including 80% of the 28m NHS App users. Better access supports patients as partners in managing their health, and can help reduce queries to general practice such as on negative test results and referral letters.

A GP readiness checklist is available to general practice staff, which includes a list of essential actions to undertake prior to launching prospective record access. There are also a number of resources available to support preparing for the change.

These include:

• an updated RCGP GP online services toolkit
• a suite of concise ‘how to’ videos
• suggested learnings from early adopter sites
• a package of communication materials for general practice teams to use to inform their patients
• Information Governance (IG) Guidance and a national template to support a Data Privacy Impact Assessment by a practice team.