Patient access to their records

As reported by the RCGPs, NHS England has written to general practitioners about changes to patient record access

The letter confirms that from November 1st 2022, patients at practices in England using TPP and EMIS systems will be granted automatic access to their prospective records via patient-facing apps.

This year, the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGPs) has been working on the Accelerating Citizen Access to GP Data program. It aimed to ensure that an expansion is implemented with care, ensuring that there is sufficient time for communication and preparation in order to minimise the risks that automation may pose to vulnerable groups.

The RCGPs has said it is pleased that the government followed its recommendation to delay the implementation of automatic record access from its original go-live date of December 2021. This it hopes will ensure practices are given a minimum of 2 months’ notice in order to prepare for the change to be accepted.

There are significant risks associated with automatic access which require careful management, there is also evidence for the benefits of patients having access to their records and the RCGP has always been clear that we support this principle.