How to Access Your Personal Health Record

Your health record provides an overall holistic view of your health. It tracks all your test results, upcoming appointments, treatment plans, mental health diagnosis, accessibility needs and basic health information, like your blood type, intolerances and NHS number. 

Your personal health record matters because it supports your continuity of care. It prevents the need for repeated tests, makes sure you and your healthcare team are aware of any medication you’ve had in the past and reduces the likelihood for conflicting advice as you see different doctors. This is particularly useful if you travel a lot or have recently moved. 

With easy access to your health record, you and your health care specialist will be able to spot trends easier, and it can also support more proactive conversations about your health. All of this helps you to get answers and work with your GP to find solutions without unnecessary friction. 

Your NHS health record is made up of multiple sources of information to create an overview of your health and medical history. It includes:

• Basic health information
  • Your personal details
  • Your emergency contacts
  • Your blood type
  • Your allergies and intolerances
    
    
• Your medical history
  • Past illness
  • Health conditions
  • Surgeries and hospital admissions
  • Vaccinations
  • Family medical history
    
    
• Medications, including current and previous prescriptions, doses and side effects
  
  
• Test results, from
  • Blood tests
  • X-rays and MRIs
  • Lab reports
  • Screening results
    
    
• Appointments
  
  
• Care plans
  
  
• Referral letters, discharge summaries and care coordination notes
  
  
• Mental health
  • Diagnosis
  • Mental health care plans
  • Crisis support information
    
    
• Accessibility needs

Just because you have a complete medical history, it may not be stored in one place. And that’s completely normal. You may also have records with GP surgeries, specific NHS trusts and any other mental health services that you use. 

It’s also worth noting that the NHS App stores a summary of your health record and that, if you’re missing information within the app, it does not mean that your health record is incomplete. 

In the UK, you have a legal right to access your personal health records. This right is protected under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Under this legal protection, you have the right to know what personal data is being collected, why it is being used, who else will see it, how long it will be kept and also how it will be protected. 

You are allowed to ask to view your health records, request copies of them in digital or paper format, and see any information held by services that you have used, such as mental health services, opticians and dentists. 
However, in some situations such as where information could seriously harm your physical or mental health, create a safeguarding risk or reveal information about another person, access may be limited. 

Access to your personal health record is usually free and can be done via the NHS App or by making a formal Subject Access Request directly with the service provider who holds your records. Access requests are normally fulfilled within a month. No one else can access your records unless you give them consent, they have legal authority - for example, as a power of attorney - or because you cannot make decisions for yourself.

The NHS patient app gives you a practical, high-level overview of your health and your medical history. It’s available to anyone over the age of 13 who is registered with an NHS GP in England or the Isle of Man. If you’re registered with a GP in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, you won’t have access to the NHS app in the same way but your GP will be able to tell you which online health services you can use.

In the NHS patient app, you can: 

• Review and request repeat prescriptions
• View notes from your appointments and book new ones
• See your test results
• View and book vaccinations
• Review any health conditions, allergies and intolerances
• View GP surgery letters, doctor’s notes, reports from scans and discharge documents 

Not all GP surgeries provide a full record of your health within the NHS App and not all of your hospital records may be visible. To view this information, you can contact the NHS trust or GP surgery directly for a Subject Access Request. 

1. Download the NHS App
2. Create a NHS login
3. You’ll be asked for your email address and phone number before setting up a password and confirming a security code
4. Verify your identity with photo ID, a face scan or your NHS number and GP registration

Once your account has been verified, the app will automatically connect your GP record and you’ll be able to see information on your appointments, prescriptions, test results and vaccinations. 

If you don’t see all of your information, it may be because your GP surgery doesn’t support all features of the NHS App yet or that your personal information does not match with your record, for example your maiden name is different to your current name. In these situations, the best thing to do is to get in touch with your GP or use the help pages on the NHS website.

If records are missing from your NHS App or you want more information on a specific area of your medical history, you can request records from your GP surgery. 

To do this, you can make a Subject Access Request or find the information online.

If your GP has online services, then you may be able to access your records without making a Subject Access Request. These records will be live and continually updated with your prescriptions, appointments, test results (in some cases), medications, allergies and sometimes notes from your appointments. 

If you can’t find the information that you’re looking for through your GP surgery’s online portal, then you can make a Subject Access Request. It’s usually free and your GP is required to get back to you with your records within a month. 

You can usually make a Subject Access Request via a form on your GPs website, by email, by letter or in person at reception.

Some of your information may be stored outside of your GP surgery if you have been treated in a hospital or by a specialist. While people often refer to the NHS as a singular entity, it’s actually made up of lots of separate organisations. Hospitals and NHS trusts hold their own records because each is responsible for their own patients and because they have their own systems. 

To access your personal health record from an NHS hospital, look at their website to find an ‘Access to Health Records’ page or a form where you can make a Subject Access Request. If you can’t find it, you can also email their health records department or the hospital trust’s Data Protection Officer which will be publicly listed. 

To access your personal health record from any mental health services, you can contact the relevant NHS Mental Health Trust directly, submit a Subject Access Request via an online form or look for the contact details of a team that deals specifically with access to records. 

To access your personal health record from community health services, identify which community health trust you went to and submit a Subject Access Request online via a form, through their records department or Data Protection Officer. 

If you need help getting access to your records and you don’t know who to contact, you can use the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) which is a quick and straightforward NHS support system which can help you find what you’re looking for.

How to update access

In some scenarios, it may be appropriate to ask another person to access your personal health record or you may need to access someone else’s record on their behalf - especially if you’re a parent, carer or have power of attorney over someone’s decisions. 
Having access to someone else’s personal health records in these situations allows you to act in their best interests. 

If you have power of attorney, you will need to prove that your Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is registered before contacting each individual health organisation to request records. You will likely need to show them your LPA confirmation and prove your identity. 

If you are the legal parent or guardian for a child, you will automatically have access to their personal health record until the child is considered capable of making their own decisions. 

How to make an amendment

If you spot that an area of your health record needs updating, you can get in contact with the NHS organisation who holds your personal record and request an amendment. This can usually be done via email, online form or in person. 

How to raise a formal complaint

When you need help with a misunderstanding, an issue which can be fixed quickly or need clarification about your care or records, the best thing to do is speak to a representative of the NHS organisation or get in touch with PALS. 

For anything concerning patient safety, where your rights have not been respected, where communication has broken down, where resolutions have not been met via informal routes or when you have concerns over clinical negligence, you can raise a formal complaint. 

This can usually be handled directly with management at your GP surgery or with the relevant NHS trust for your hospital, mental health or community service.

How data is handled and protected

In the UK, your data is legally protected by UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, as well as under NHS confidentiality rules. The NHS operates under strict records access open only to authorised staff. 
Online systems are also encrypted and run on secure networks to give an extra level of security to your personal data. 

To keep your health records secure on your own personal devices, be sure to use strong passwords that can’t easily be guessed, passwords which are unique to your NHS App and keep your security features activated and regularly updated.

Having access to your health record is your legal right and when you have your medical history at your fingertips, it improves your communication with clinicians and care providers for the benefit of your health. 

Start by downloading and checking the NHS App to see what records you have available and then follow up with your GP if anything is missing. 

Requesting access to your records is not about confrontation, it’s about empowering you to receive the level of healthcare that you deserve.