NHS database

[237SJ]

I had the letter a while ago about my details going onto the NHS Spine database and decided I wasn`t too bothered about it. I`ve now decided after talking to a friend in the medical world that I would like to opt out. Is it too late? I know there was a cut off date but can I opt out after that date? After all, if someone was to come to the UK and join the NHS tomorrow, they would probably have the option of opting out so it must be possible to do somehow

[China Doll]

Fifth answer down. This admin person did just answer your question. I don't think you can if the cut off date has passed, phone the details on the letter and make the enquiry. If it wasn't the surgery that sent you the letter then it's unlikely they would know.

[Greedyfly]

I thought it was a complete breach of policy and found the whole situation very annoying. I don't want people I know listening to my sheer panic on the phone when I have been involved in an accident!

[China Doll]

To an extent... but if I started trying to acess the notes of a 60 year old bloke, questions might be asked. It would be an unusual request considering I now work with children and need to acces their records. Also, hospital records and GP records can be different. GP are likely to have copies of every letter ever sent from any hospital appt. The hospital will have a referral for a particular thing and a summary of your medical history that the GP gives. So I might have a patient who's had appointments in opthalmology say, but unless it has a direct bearing on what they've been referred to this service for, we'll just know that this is something they've had treated. (Unless it was at the same hospital and then I could access the letters on the system and look but again, there'd be no reason for me to, I would only want to see things that had a bearing on what my consultants wished me to do).

E.g. I have a lot of access to psychological reports but unless I need something directly from these reports, I just file, action or don't open as it's not my business.

Hope that makes some sort of sense ethradon!

[ethandron]

yes, thanks china.
the receptionis in question is also a friend of mine who i've known for 30 years and i would be highly surprised if she had been rooting through a patients records. she wouldn't even give me some test results for my old dad when he was having tests for bowel cancer without written authorisation from him (which is fair enough and i completely understand) .however the othe friend is convinced she did and is very tight lipped about it. i was just curious...

[woofgang]

Can I also point out with greatest respect that when you are looking at them day in day out as part of your job, medical records are BORING. I worked in community services and have on occasion, and with their explicit consent, been involved in the treatment of neighbours and relatives of colleagues. As has been said, you access the bits you need and ignore the rest. You don't discuss the information with anyone outside appropriate clinical services and as soon as you are done with that person, it slips out of your mind to leave room for the next lot of patient information.
Bad eggs? yes same as everywhere. currently they are hard to catch but with electronic tracking, it will be much easier and faster to deal with unauthorised access.

[woofgang]

PS 237sj, I'd be interested to know what your medical friend said and what area they work in...not enough info to identify who they are or where they work, just generally.

[237SJ]

woofgang, she`s a nurse and didn`t want any colleagues snooping at her details. My friend is going through a very acrimonious divorce. Her cousin is a GP`s receptionist and is ready and willing to pass on details of the woman her husband is having an affair with

[Greedyfly]

Report them!

[woofgang]

yup, the woman needs disciplining no question. On the spine her accesses would be monitored and there would be proof to back up your friend's allegation.

[China Doll]

Quite right Greedy, that is gross misconduct.

[237SJ]

It`s none of my business. I can see my friend`s (the nurse, not the other one) point though. If you were a young person working in the medical field and you went out one night and met someone, would you be tempted to look up and see if he has any nasty diseases, a mental condition he hasn`t told you about, or he`s been to the clap clinic 30 times because he sleeps around? Just a though, and I`m not in the medical world and have nothing to hide, but my friend said the system will be abused. All systems can be abused where humans are involved. It happens in my place of work

[squarebear]

Her bosses will face immense pressure to sack her, if she is found to have accessed any details she shouldn't have.

[Greedyfly]

But that's life. We cannot keep our data private all the time. It is impossible!

[237SJ]

Which goes back to my original point!! I want to opt-out.
Such is life,
I`m going shopping now
bye bye

[woofgang]

just to add one other thing. without going into detail, I once read something on a patient's medical record that wasn't directly relevant to his/her current illness but which explained a lot about them. It totally changed the way we were approaching him/her and massively improved the outcome of his/her treatment.
I never discussed with the person what I had found out so he/she never knew that I knew.
Sometimes reading around for good reason can be very beneficial.

[Greedyfly]

Byeeee.... Hope you get it sorted out =)

[woofgang]

It will be more that immense pressure square bear. Its a sacking offence if proven.

[China Doll]

In answer to your question, no you are not tempted to snoop. We all carry a degree of personal responsibility, if you have concerns like that then your responsibility is to ensure that a condom is used if you have sexual relations with the person, not to snoop to see if their name is in the system and if so, see information that is highly unlikely to be of any use or indeed any of your business. I would have that GP receptionist reported in an instant if I thought something like that was offered, she won't know the entire picture (as I said about GP and hospital notes not being exactly the same, she won't be clinical so possibly won't understand all the clinical information and it's just plain wrong and a violation of her duties).

[woofgang]

Electronic spine records require a username and password and access is tracked.
The system I saw had a facility for flagging unusual access by a staff member (eg child services accessing adult record) and for blocking information that staff had no need to see (eg I as a community rehab worker wouldn't have been able to see GUM clinic records)
Electronic records held locally are covered by local policies regarding access and sharing and are usually password protected and may be encrypted too.
Paper records sit in trolleys and on shelves and rely on the behaviour and ethics of the individual staff member, backed up by the threat of sanction for unauthorised access.
Unauthorised access and the sharing of information without good clinical reason are taken very seriously whatever the form the information takes.