Patient access to health records - Historic landmark

1 April, 2022

Today is the first day in England that family doctors' and their clinical staff's notes will be made available immediately digitally to all of their patients*** - in real time.

(*** with limited exceptions)

I hope to speak to my UK Member of parliament (MP) in his "surgery" (an MP's "surgery" is his/her open session for his/her constituents) to see if he can influence the health ministers to assure that the UK medical schools insist on suitable training for undergraduate and postgraduate clinical staff. Sharing records has great advantages but also problems which have surmountable but complex solutions requiring training to expedite.

Here is a letter that I shall hand over at the surgery if I manage to meet my MP:

"Dear ......, thank you for all of your help with NHS digital health records in the past. As a group of expert professionals we have supported the research and development of patient access to their records for over 25 years.

We are delighted with this progress on patient access to records. “From April 2022 (2) , patients with online accounts such as through the NHS App will be able to read new entries in their health record”. (2) Access to patient records through the NHS App - NHS Digital <https://digital.nhs.uk/services/nhs-app/nhs-app-guidance-for-gp-practice...).

However sharing records with patients is complex and we do not want to see progress spoilt by poor sharing caused by poor training and education of healthcare professionals and in deed of patients. We would, therefore, ask you to write to the ministry of health and to the chair of the Health and Social Care Select Committee to request their support for compulsory undergraduate and postgraduate syllabus for patient on line to patient records.

We would like this syllabus to be inserted into the UK medical schools’ finals exams (1) from the academic year 2024-25 and into postgraduate educational syllabuses.

I have pasted the excellent Royal College of General Practice online training about patient online for GPs (3), nurses and practice staff.

Thank you again for your consideration and past support

Yours Sincerely,

Richard Fitton, Brian Fisher, Ray Jones"

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HIFA profile: Richard Fitton is a retired family doctor - GP. Professional interests: Health literacy, patient partnership of trust and implementation of healthcare with professionals, family and public involvement in the prevention of modern lifestyle diseases, patients using access to professional records to overcome confidentiality barriers to care, patients as part of the policing of the use of their patient data. Email address: richardpeterfitton7 AT gmail.com