Index
What is Record View?
Record View is an Accurx product that allows any NHS healthcare professional to request and instantly view an organised summary of a patient’s GP medical record with the patient’s explicit permission, for up to 24 hours from Accurx Web.
How does Record View work:
An NHS professional logs into Accurx Web using their NHS.net or NHS.uk credentials with two-factor authentication
The healthcare professional searches for a patient using their NHS number and date of birth
If the patient’s GP has opted-in to Record View (thereby enabling sharing of their records), then the healthcare professional will be able to request to view the summary of the patient’s GP medical record (please note: not required for GPs viewing their own patients' records)
When a patient’s record is requested, the patient is sent a text message with a 6 digit unique code.
The healthcare professional needs to contact the patient or be with the patient for the patient to share the 6 digit code
Once the 6 digit code is entered, the healthcare professional can view a read-only summary of the patient's GP medical record for up to 24 hours (Please note: If the patient does not return the code, the summary record will not be returned)
GP’s are notified via an audit trail on the ‘Manage Organisation’ page in Accurx Desktop each time a record request is made for one of their patients (read more here)
Note: If a GP is requesting to view their own patient's record, patient permission is not required, and steps 4-6 will be skipped 😊
View a simple ‘how-to’ guide for using Record View at this link.
What are the key benefits of Record View in primary care?
You’re able to access your records for your own patients when not connected to your organisation’s EPR, e.g. while working remotely, out of hours, at a home visit or in the community
Your practice will save on admin time as other healthcare professionals can access information via Record View, instead of having to contact your GP practice for patient information
Is there a cost for using Record View?
No, Record View is free, along with the rest of Accurx Web.
What information is shared in the record summary?
We have worked closely with healthcare professionals to determine what information to share, and how to organise this information in the summary. We will continue to iterate on this based on feedback from our users and patients. Currently, the summary includes:
A list of current and past medical conditions
A list of current and past medications
Allergies
Test results from the last 2 years, including blood test and imaging reports
Immunisation history
Smoking, alcohol, and BMI status
Your last three consultations (note: this section is currently only available to you as a GP for your own patients)
Patient and GP contact details
We do not return any sensitive data codes that are included in the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) sensitive data-set, e.g. information about terminations of pregnancy, assisted conception, In-Vitro Fertilisation, and sexually transmitted infections.
What about IG and data sharing agreements?
Record View meets the IG standards of National Bodies (NHS Digital, NHSX, and National Data Guardian) and was developed in consultation with the NHS’s former National Data Guardian, Dame Fiona Caldicott. You can read the full correspondence here.
Since Record View works through patient permission when a healthcare professional other than the patient's GP is requesting to view their record, the need for data sharing agreements between each participating organisation is removed, as per NHS guidance in the picture below and at this link:
Can I see which of my patients’ records have been viewed ?
You will receive a full audit trail of requests to view your patients’ records, showing the name and email of the healthcare professional, the organization, and the status of the record (e.g. time remaining, request denied etc.). This audit trail is available from the ‘Manage Organisation’ page for your organisation in Accurx Desktop.
Do I still remain in control of my patients’ records?
Yes, you as the GP remain the data controller for your patients’ records, and your practice has to enable Record View before any of your patients’ records can be requested by another healthcare professional. There can be no changes to a patient’s record through Record View - users who are granted permission to view a record receive a read-only view for 24 hours.
Why did Accurx build Record View, and how does it differ from other record sharing solutions?
Record View has been developed in response to significant demand from healthcare professionals for an efficient way to access the information in a patient’s GP medical record when providing direct care to a patient.
Traditional ways of sharing records - like GPs printing off copies for home visits, clinicians requesting records over the phone with no identity verification, and sending parts of records by email - are unreliable, insecure, and often time consuming.
Existing solutions, such as the NHS Summary Care Record and Local Health Care Records (“LHCRs”) have partially helped, but have some constraints. Depending on the solution, this might be poor access for staff (due to a dependence on NHS smartcards that are rarely configured correctly for staff), a lack of awareness of their existence, availability for local patients only, or limited information available in the record.
Record View aims to complement these other record sharing solutions, providing a summary view of the GP medical record with the following key differences:
Firstly, Record View guarantees ease of access to the summary record by putting patient permission at the heart of the product. This removes the need for data sharing agreements between each participating organisation.
Secondly, Record View delivers a more comprehensive set of information than the NHS Summary Care Record, including a list of active and past medical conditions, current and past medications, the last 2 years’ worth of investigations, test results and imaging reports, and more.
Thirdly, Record View will be available nation-wide, and not restricted to patients from a specific locality. If your patients are visiting another region of the country (e.g. for a specialist appointment or on holiday), the healthcare professional will still be able to request to view their GP medical record.
What if I want to opt out of Record View?
To opt your practice out of Record View, please get in touch with the Accurx Support Team for a team member to action this for you by clicking on the green chat bubble in the bottom right-hand corner 👉