Health professionals often receive requests from people who wish to access health records. These requests can include requests from patients to view or obtain copies of their own health record using GDPR subject access request rights or the requests might come from third parties, such as the...
Individuals have a right to access their own health records, and in limited circumstances, access to the records of other people. The Government has made a commitment that patients should gain access to their health records within 21 days following a request. Access to health records may also be...
The GMC guidance on good medical practice can be read in full here
The advice for advertising is as follows
68 You must be honest and trustworthy in all your communication with patients and colleagues. This means you must make clear the limits of your knowledge and make reasonable checks to...
The December 1997 Caldicott Report identified weaknesses in the way parts of NHS handled confidential patient data. The report made sixteen recommendations,one of which was the appointment of Caldicott guardians, members of staff with a responsibility to ensure patient data is kept secure. It...
About this tool kit Questions about confidentiality and disclosure of health care information are a significant area of ethical enquiry for the British Medical Association (BMA) and the volume of queries exceeds other issues of ethical concern raised by BMA members.While health professionals are...
Disclosing patient information without consent- A precis of GMC advice
You must disclose information if it is required by statute or if you are ordered by a judge. Although obeying a judge's directions is mandatory you should only disclose information that is relevant to the request. But other...
Our thanks to Londonwide LMCs' and LMC Law for this advice to practices
GP practices are public bodies for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and are subject to its requirements. This means that practices are advised to respond within 20 days, failing which they may be...
Some important information for you to note when you are asked by separated parents for information about their child:
Parents may have access to their children’s records if this is not contrary to a competent child’s wishes. For children under 18 (in England) any person with parental...
General practices in England are now required to offer patients online access to summary information from their records raising issues about confidentiality and record accuracy.
According to the published figures, 21% of patients in England were able to access their medical records online in...
GMC guidance refers to an Intercollegiate document (see below). An updated version was released in January 2019. The ultimate statement to which we are beholden is:
'It is now recognised that the complexity of relationships with child and young people patients and their parents and carers in...
We would like to remind practices of their obligation for protecting access to records by their staff members.
GMC guidance from April 2013 states:
'Wherever possible you should avoid providing medical care to anyone with whom you have a close personal relationship' This principle needs to be...
