Access To Health Records
Under the Access to Health Records Act you have certain rights regarding your medical records held at the practice. However, as any information regarding the Act can only be guaranteed at the time this practice booklet went to print, it would seem more appropriate for information to be given on an individual basis. Please feel free to ask a member of staff.
Medical Records
Lancashire and South Cumbria has been chosen by NHS England to be a national pilot for the digitisation of Medical Records. Scanning these paper based records and making them digital will enable better utilisation of space, creating more clinical space, staff areas, multi team space and video hubs, removing the need for some practices to build extensions. In addition it will also make your record more easily and speedily accessible to clinical staff within your practice.
Your complete GP medical record will be digital and stored in a secure cloud based clinical system (only accessible by your GP practice) with the paper based records being securely destroyed following BS EN 15713:2009 Secure destruction of confidential material. Your GP will still be able to access your records easily within this system. The scanning and destruction of the paper records will follow strict data protection guidelines adhered to by the NHS. As with paper based records, digital records are stored for the durations specified in the Records Management Codes of Practice for Health and Social Care. For GP patient records, this states that they may be destroyed 10 years after the patient’s death if they are no longer needed.
If you wish to discuss the scheme, please inform the Practice direct either by letter addressed to Kelly Maxwell, Practice Manager, St Georges Surgery, 62 Haslingden Road, Blackburn, BB2 3HS or by email FAO Kelly Maxwell to stgeorgessurgery@nhs.net