Some people don’t like their medical records being shared. They contain personal details including information about their physical or mental health, and they may like the thought of this being accessed by other people. If this describes you, then you might be wondering if your GP records are accessible to other healthcare professionals.
If you are concerned that hospitals and other healthcare professionals can access your GP medical record, there’s no need to worry. These health records are not available for others to view.
Of course, medical professionals may need to know key information pertaining to your health. This is available to them through a “summary care record”. This care record, produced by your GP practice automatically from the start of your first visit, gives a brief overview of key health details. This can assist a hospital with administering the right care and medicine if you’re admitted.
You might be curious about what your GP record includes. This record covers details such as your test results, vaccines, and medicines. Furthermore, it will cover communications from your GP between other services. This can include hospital discharge summaries and referral letters.
If you would like to take a look at your GP records, it is possible to view a summary of this online through the official NHS app. This NHS digital approach is the easiest way to gain access, although there are other methods available.
One is to ask your GP directly. This can be done in person, over the phone, or via a video consultation if you are with NHS GP. You will need to request information about which your GP uses an online service provider. Note that this information could be available on the website of your GP surgery. Then it’s a case of telling them you would like to sign up for their online services, completing the registration, and gaining access to your details.
You can also, in writing, formally request these medical records. This might be your option if you don’t want to use online services and want physical copies of your records.
Regardless of which option you choose, General Data Protection Regulation ensures you don’t have to pay a penny to access your medical records.
What if you’re not accessing your own GP records, but those recorded for someone who has died? NHS England passes the records for the deceased to Primary Care Support England (PCSE).
If you are allowed to access these files – say you are the deceased’s executor of their estate – you will have to first get in touch with the deceased’s last registered GP. They will be able to help with gaining approved requests from the PCSE for records of the deceased.
If you would like any further information about GP records, who has access to them, and more, feel free to contact us.
Cervical screening, often known as a smear test or cervical screening test, is an essential part of any woman’s healthcare, and it’s an important measure that can help protect women and prevent cervical cancer. In the UK, women are recommended to undergo regular PAP testing at age 25 and older as part of their routine healthcare regime of regular testing and GP appointments.
The procedure involves the use of a smooth tube-shaped tool, a speculum, which, although it might look unpleasant and even frightening, is designed especially to be as painless as possible. By following the instructions your GP or nurse gives you, the cervical screening, a small procedure, will be over in a matter of seconds for most people.
In order for the test to be carried out, you’ll need to lie down on an exam table with your legs bent, feet together. Put the soles of your feet together and let your knees fall to each side, and your doctor or nurse will be able to perform the test more easily.
Once you’re in position, the healthcare professional will put the speculum into your vagina using a small amount of lubricant – this is done to carefully push the vaginal walls to the side so that the doctor or nurse can get to the cervix, which is what they need to take cells from. When they gently put a smooth tube inside, it makes access much easier.
The cervical screening (smear test) is designed so that cells can be taken from the cervix and sent off for testing to determine whether or not there are abnormalities in the cells (which might indicate cervical cancer).
Once the speculum is in place, a soft brush or spatula is used to gently put a sample of cells from your cervix into a sample collection tube; this is a crucial step because the cells will be sent off to a lab for testing to see if there are any signs of cervical cancer or the human papillomavirus (HPV) which can lead to cervical cancer.
Finding out if you have any abnormal cells isn’t something to put off or ignore – knowing is far better than not knowing, even if it’s a frightening prospect because treatment can be started if something is found, making it much more likely that you’ll have a positive outcome.
As mentioned above, high-risk HPV strains are known to be a major cause of cervical cancer, which is why regular screenings are so vital for women, especially any who might be at high risk of developing the condition because of their age, sexual activity, or family history.
Once your expert NHS GP has taken the small sample of cells they need for the PAP test, the speculum is gently removed, and the doctor will leave you to get dressed.
The collected sample from the cervical screening, a smear, will be labelled and then sent off to a lab for cervical screening a small sample, where experts can see if the cells have any signs of infection or any abnormalities.
If you feel you want to have cervical cancer screening tests for your peace of mind or because you’re concerned about your health, please don’t hesitate to contact us to book your appointment. Our experts are on hand to ensure your health is taken seriously.
Need a repeat prescription but are not sure how to get one? Find out everything there is to know about how and where to get a repeat prescription in the UK. Plus, discover what to do if you lose your repeat prescription.
You can get a repeat prescription without going to the doctor. There are several ways that you can request a repeat prescription without having to go to your GP surgery in person, including:
One of the simplest ways to request repeat medications is via the NHS app or the NHS website. If you do not have an NHS account, you can easily create one via the website.
If you are asked to nominate a pharmacy, you must choose a high street one. Select continue on this, and it should process the order. When ready, you can collect your prescription in person, or some pharmacies may offer a delivery service.
If you do not want to use the NHS app, there are other online services and apps that you can use to place your repeat prescription orders. These services can be linked to your NHS GP so that any repeat prescriptions will be automatically highlighted on your account and so that they can check your GP medical record.
It is worth noting that some of these services are free of charge, whereas others will charge to deliver your medication directly to your door.
Yes, you can get a repeat prescription directly from a chemist. As long as the medication in question has already been approved by a doctor, you can simply choose a pharmacy and collect your medication as and when you need it.
Depending on the medication you take, you may be required to go to your doctor’s office for check-ups to see how you are responding to the treatment and to check that it is not interfering with any other medication you are taking. If you are taking the oral contraceptive pill, you will need to give a blood pressure reading once every 6 months.
It usually takes around 2 working days for a repeat prescription request to be processed by your GP surgery, as each prescription needs to be approved by a doctor. Once a prescription has been authorised, it is then sent to the pharmacy to be dispensed. Depending on whether or not they have the medication in stock, this can take between 2-5 days.
If you require a repeat prescription urgently, visit our contact us page, so our team can help you through the process. We may be able to fast-track the process.
If you are entitled to free prescriptions, then you do not have to pay for a repeat prescription. In the UK, contraceptives such as birth control pills are free of charge on the NHS to people of all ages.
If you are not entitled to free prescriptions, then you will have to pay the £9.65 prescription charge. However, if you require frequent prescriptions regularly, it may work out cheaper for you to purchase a prescription payment certificate (PPC).
As most GP surgeries now issue electronic prescriptions, you do not need to worry about your repeat prescription getting lost. However, if you have been issued paper prescriptions from your GP and they become lost, your local surgery should be able to print you out a new copy.
Do you struggle to get face-to-face appointments with your GP? Since the COVID-19 pandemic, which made online GP appointments much more commonplace, many people have expressed their concern about not being able to see a doctor in person.
In fact, last year, figures showed that only two-thirds of GP appointments are carried out in person, compared to an estimated 80% before the pandemic.
Find out the latest laws and guidelines relating to face-to-face GP appointments below and make sure you are getting the care you are entitled to.
Although the initial switch to remote consulting was predominantly to control the spread of the COVID-19 virus and to ensure patients are safe, this is not the main reason why GP practices are continuing to offer remote consulting.
A combination of huge volumes of patients and limited daily appointment slots has made it almost impossible for surgeries to accommodate face-to-face appointments for everyone.
According to new NHS guidance, practices in England must offer face-to-face appointments if requested. GPs who fail to make the necessary arrangements for patients to make an appointment without having to spend hours on the phone or who are not available for face-to-face appointments are, in the strictest terms, breaking the law.
You can find out more information about how many appointments your GP surgery is delivering and how many are face-to-face compared to how many take place remotely by accessing the GP appointment level data at practice level. This is information that has been collected for the past 5 years by NHS Digital.
Rather than spending hours on the phone trying to get through to the reception at your local GP surgery, it is much quicker and easier to use an online form. Some practices have them available on your GP surgery’s website, or you may be able to access them via the NHS app.
Although there are quite a few questions to answer on these forms, this is generally a much faster way to access the GP services that you need rather than booking an appointment over the phone. These online forms are secure and confidential and can be used to contact your general practice about your own health or someone else’s – your loved ones in care homes needing health care services don’t need to add the stress of using online methods like this on top of their health conditions, so take care of this for them. If you or your loved one don’t mind having an online appointment, this is generally much quicker to get sorted, and you can easily get one with NHS GP clinics. If you need help booking an online appointment with your GP, please contact us here, and we will do our best to help you get the healthcare advice you need.
A new NHS contract that came into force in April 2023 means that GP staff have to let patients book consultations in advance or refer them to other services, such as a pharmacist, rather than tell them to call back later or the next day. Practices across England will be given £240 million this year to pay for new technologies that are designed to ensure patients get given the care they need as quickly as possible.
Currently, guidelines state that if a patient requires emergency care, they should be given an appointment on the same day. If it is not, appointments, either face-to-face or via a video call, should be offered within 2 weeks. Alternatively, patients should be referred to NHS 111 or a local pharmacy.
When booking a GP appointment, your surgery will ask you for personal details such as your name, address, and date of birth. They should also ask you about your preferred mode of appointment, such as a telephone or video call or a face-to-face appointment. They may also ask you what the appointment is for, but you are not required to give out this information if you do not want to.
Picking up your medication has become so much easier than in the past. Today you don’t even need to go to the pharmacy at all. You can switch from paper prescriptions to electronic ones and then have your local high street pharmacy, or even a digital-only pharmacy, fulfil your prescription. This means you can now have your medication ready for pickup from your closest pharmacy or have it sent directly to your home.
We are all about simplifying the healthcare process here at NHS GP, which is why we’ve put together this guide on how to check if your medication is in stock and also how to finally get it delivered to your door if you wish.
Think that you can only request a refill on your repeat prescription in person? Think again. All you need is to download the NHS app. This app gets you in touch with your GP and makes it quick and easy to request electronic prescriptions. This written notice is then sent to your GP, who signs off on it. Once it’s refilled, many providers will even deliver to your home so you can skip the trip to your local pharmacy and instead get your repeat refills in a timely manner.
Tip: Keep in mind that if you order your repeat subscriptions online, you’ll need to visit your GP at least once per year. This is to make sure that there aren’t any unwelcome side effects.
If you do want to physically go in to collect your medicines (either because you don’t have time to wait, have paper prescriptions, or want to discuss your medication with the pharmacist), there are a few ways that you can check if your medication is in stock.
One of the easiest and best ways is to contact your pharmacy directly. To do this, simply find a pharmacy on Google Maps. Make sure the pharmacy in question is the one you’ve chosen as your preferred option, and use the contact information online to get in touch. You can send them an email or call them directly to see what medication they have in stock, and you should be able to collect this the same day. For repeat prescriptions, they may take a little longer, particularly if it isn’t your normal pharmacy.
This can be the fastest way to get the medication that you need if you have a paper prescription from another doctor and are visiting your current area.
If you desperately need medical help and can’t get your prescription in time, then contact us to book an emergency video appointment. We can help you manage your condition and even work to find where your medication is in stock so that you can get the relief that you need. You won’t be left feeling alone in this situation.
Are you planning to go to hospital? While it’s not something that anyone looks forward to, it is sometimes a necessity. Yet, if you have never been through the process of a hospital admission before, or it has been a while since you last spent time in a hospital, you might be wondering how the process works. This includes wondering if your GP is able to admit you into the hospital. Let’s answer that question for you.
In short, yes, your GP is able to admit you to hospital. In fact, GP approval is often recommended if you are planning a stay in hospital. Whether it is from the doctor at your GP surgery, even if you use a service like NHS GP or another health specialist, they can arrange your hospital stay. That includes booking your appointment and getting an admission letter sent your way.
This admission letter is important for a number of reasons. Most importantly, it supplies you with specific instructions to follow – including the date and time, details about what department to visit, and information about how to prepare for your stay – that helps to clear up any possible confusion.
However, GP approval or consultation is unnecessary for hospital admission. There are certain situations where this is bypassed entirely.
A consultant-led hospital admission is arguably the most beneficial. This helps to reduce waiting time as you have a scheduled time and date for your hospital visit. Yet sometimes, it’s not possible to have the luxury of forward planning.
For example, you may be unable to go to the GP beforehand if you are suffering from an emergency health predicament. If you suddenly become unwell, an ambulance could be called to take you directly to the hospital for treatment.
Sometimes assistance isn’t required. You might decide to admit yourself to a hospital if you feel ill or are seriously injured. This is typically the case if you feel it’s an issue that cannot wait and requires urgent attention from a medical professional.
Another scenario is if a person is admitted to hospital under the Mental Health Act. Understandably, when this action is taken, it doesn’t require GP approval beforehand.
Depending on whether you have completed a pre-admission assessment, or if certain details are provided in your admission letter, specific advice such as not eating over a specific period, may have to be followed. There are other tips to keep in mind. This includes bringing some money to purchase snacks or drinks and any personal details changes – like a new GP, for instance.
Once you have arrived, you will have to meet with hospital staff and complete an admission form. This includes supplying your personal details and those of your emergency contact.
If you need any further clarification, feel free to contact us. We will be able to answer any questions you might have about hospital admissions, the role a GP can play, and more.
In the UK, many residents are familiar with having to pay for prescriptions when they visit a doctor, but the rules surrounding it can be a bit complicated, to say the least!
As of 2023, the rules for prepayment prescriptions and medical certificates have been updated, so here, you will be given a crash course on how NHS payment for prescriptions works!
Do you have to pay for prescriptions? In England, the majority of working-age adults have to pay for their prescriptions.
In 2023, the current prescription charge is £9.65 per item. However, there are certain groups of people who may be exempt from paying for prescription costs.
If you live in Wales or Scotland, you will be eligible for free NHS prescriptions. You are also entitled to free prescriptions if you live in Northern Ireland. Also, if you are aged 16, 17, or 18 in England or are in full-time education, you will also be entitled to free NHS prescriptions. If you are currently pregnant or have given birth in the last 12 months, you are also eligible for free NHS prescriptions, but you will need to hold a maternity exemption certificate.
Please note that if you have a certain medical condition, you may be entitled to free NHS prescriptions and will be awarded a medical exemption certificate. In addition, hospital inpatients do not have to pay prescription charges for any medication they receive while they are in the hospital.
However, if you don’t meet these exemptions, there are some ways that you can reduce health costs in England.
If you have multiple items on your monthly prescription, you can get a reduction in your NHS prescription charges when you apply for a prescription prepayment certificate, PPC.
In the NHS, there are two types of prescription prepayment certificates available.
There is a three or 12-month NHS Prescription Prepayment certificate or PPC, which will cover all of the NHS prescriptions that you get in this period. This can help people who have complex medical conditions, which may require them to pay a lot of money for medication. At the time of writing in 2023, the NHS PPC is £11.16.
There is also the option for people who are receiving hormone replacement therapy or HRT to have a prepayment certificate solely for the purpose of paying for this medication. You will only be eligible for this if an NHS GP puts you onto one of the hormone replacement therapy options that are covered, such as Bedol and Elleste.
You should also note that as of August 2024, some of the medications that were previously covered by the HRT PPC will no longer be covered, as the medications are set to be discontinued.
You can check online whether the HRT you take falls into this category by looking on the NHS website or, alternatively, you can Contact Us for more information.
Following the pandemic of 2020, more people than ever have been accessing their GP and other health services online. So, it should come as no surprise that in 2023, there will be the option for NHS patients to access their medical records and meet with doctors using an app that is downloadable for smartphones – GP at Hand.
Here, we will walk you through how to sign up for the app and the benefits of being able to access all of your medical files from home.
So, how do you sign up for this service?
It is simple and ensures that you can get access to the care you need when you need it (including online video consultations with GPs and nurses), as well as having access to your medical records on the go.
To register, you must need to follow three simple steps.
So, why is it worth having online access to copies of your medical records? Or having access to a GP surgery from your phone?
For one thing, it prevents the need for travel. Your GP practice may not be close by, and, following a long day at work, you may not want to have to go into the surgery to get access to a care service or to get your test results. With the online services that NHS England can offer, you can access your health records with the click of a button, book an appointment with your GP, or reorder a repeat prescription.
It is also safe. All records are confidential and are protected by the general data protection regulation GDPR. Before you can access your medical records, you will need to provide information like your contact details and NHS number so your NHS GP or Primary Care Support England will know that it is you who wants access to the GP record. This may require a facial scan via your smartphone, as well as putting in a password and PIN.
Having an NHS app where you can do all of this also saves time. You don’t have to call your GP surgery to access your medical files, as the online record includes information that you will need for most legal proceedings or work-related meetings. Also, it allows you to look after your own health and care on the go, ensuring that all appointments are booked and that all of your prescriptions are ordered. It also allows the NHS staff at your GP surgery to focus their time on more crucial tasks than putting through repeat prescriptions, making the service better for everyone and speeding up waiting times on the phone and in surgery.
If you have any questions about signing up for GP at Hand, feel free to contact us.
Do you want to request a referral from your GP?
Whether you want a specific treatment or require further testing, you are entitled to ask your GP for a referral to the NHS.
That being said, they may suggest that you try certain treatments or undergo certain tests before they refer you to see if your condition improves.
If you would like to find out more about the GP referral process, then the blog below will tell you everything you need to know.
Firstly, you need to make an appointment with your NHS GP. This can be done either online or by contacting your local practice directly. Once you are at your appointment, you should explain to them why you think you need to see a specialist. As mentioned briefly above, they may suggest other tests or treatment before they refer you.
If your GP thinks that you need to see a specialist, require an outpatient appointment, or would benefit from mental health support, then they will write you a referral letter. This is included on the NHS England, which means you will not be charged for this service.
It is worth noting that once you are referred by your GP, it can take quite a long time before your appointment request is dealt with, as there is normally a waiting list. The exact length of time will be dependent on what type of treatment or testing you require, although the current average for waiting times is around 14 weeks.
That being said, under the NHS Constitution, if you are referred for a non-urgent medical issue, you have the right to start treatment within 18 weeks from the date of your referral.
Yes, your GP can decide not to refer you if they do not think that you need to see a specialist. That being said, if you are rejected, you can ask for a second opinion from another healthcare professional. This ensures patients are getting the help that they need.
No, you do not. If you want to pay for private health treatment, then you can get in touch with your preferred specialist without needing to involve your GP. However, if you have private medical insurance, you may be required to obtain a referral letter.
It is also recommended that you ask your GP for the referral, as then they will be able to pass details of your medical history to your private healthcare provider.
The NHS e-referral service (e-RS) is an electronic advice and support tool that is designed to make it easier for GPs to manage patient referrals. More specifically, it enables clinicians and patients to book appointments with the healthcare provider of their choice.
If you have an NHS log-in, you can receive your first outpatient appointment request information via email instead of a letter. It also acts as a directory for healthcare services, such as names of clinicians, treatments available, and conditions treated.
If you would like more information about GP referrals or any other aspect of the NHS service, please Contact Us here today.
Whether you are unwell or you live with a long term condition that requires medication, it can feel like a long wait to collect your prescription, especially if you don’t know when it is due to be ready.
Discover how to find out when your prescription orders are ready to be collected and how long they typically take. Plus, how to use the NHS app to track your repeat prescriptions.
You can contact your GP surgery at any time to find out when your prescription is ready to collect. If you have a nominated pharmacy, you can also call them or drop in if you live nearby. If you are picking up your prescription from your local pharmacy, make sure that you take your ID with you, as they may request this.
You can also check the status of your prescription on the NHS app, which is free to use and available for everyone.
Typically, it takes up to 48 hours for an NHS prescription to be ready to be collected, but this can vary from one practice to another. If you have ordered a repeat prescription via the NHS app or through your NHS GP, then allow 2-3 working days for it to be sent to the pharmacy of your choice.
If you need your NHS prescription urgently, you can ask them to fast-track your order.
Many UK pharmacies offer a text message service for prescriptions; for instance, Boots and Lloyds Pharmacy do, as well as some independent pharmacies. If you would like to receive a text from your pharmacy when your prescription is ready to be collected, all you need to do is opt into this service.
To check the status of your prescription or repeat prescription on the NHS app, you need to log in to your account and then head to the “Prescriptions” page. Here, you will be able to view your current orders and see if your prescription is ready to collect.
There are three possible statuses:
Ordering repeat prescriptions and waiting for them to be ready to be collected is the same process as standard prescriptions. You can ring your GP surgery to see if your repeat prescription has been issued, or you can contact your pharmacy directly.
You can also check to see if your repeat prescription is ready to be collected by logging into your account on the NHS app.
You can contact us for more information on collecting your prescriptions or any other aspect of the NHS.
