GP online services toolkit

Practice preparation for automatic record access

Automatic record access is new and will be switched on nationally in 2022. This section offers guidance on the steps that practices may take to prepare for automatic record access. It may not be relevant once automatic record access is active across England.

People aged 16 and over who are registered with a practice in England and have an account for any GP Online Services will have automatic prospective access to their GP record. This includes coded information, medication, consultations, and documents but not administrative messages and emails that refer to the patient. Nor does not include online consultations.

Patients who obtain a GP Online Services account for the first time once automatic record access begins will have access to their full GP record from the date when automatic record access was rolled out.

Patients who transfer to a new practice will lose their access to the record from their previous practice. If they have an NHS Login, their access will be automatically transferred to their new practice when they register. If they use a PFS app or web portal that does not use the NHS Login, they will have to register for login credentials at their new practice in the usual way (see the section on Patient registration for GP Online Services).

Once a patient has automatic record access, the clinical benefits of enhanced person-centred care and the risks from viewing potentially harmful information online will be the same as when record access is agreed for an individual patient by the practice.

• Checklist – Preparation for automatic record access (57 KB DOC) – A one page summary of the suggested preparations.
• Checking patient records - FAQ (60 KB DOC) – Guidance on how to check patient’s record for evidence that the patient may be at risk from record access.
• Patient information themes for GP Online Services (88 KB DOC) – A list of suggestions for topics that you may wish to include in practice publications about your online services.
• SNOMED CT terms that control automatic record access (252 KB DOC) – Guidance on using the SNOMED CT terms created to block individual patient’s receiving automatic record access.
• Flowchart - SNOMED CT terms to manage auto-access (168 KB PDF) – a summary of how and when the SNOMED CT terms function.
• Flowchart - new patient registration and auto-access (171 KB PDF) – A guide to manage automatic record access for a new patient registering with the practice.
• Managing potentially harmful information (87 KB DOC) – Guidance on the purpose of redaction tools in the practice IT system and when to use them. This should be read with your system suppliers training materials on redaction.
• Coercion (154 KB DOC) – Guidance on the impact of coercion to share record access with a third person or failure to maintain the privacy of online record access.
• Safeguarding and automatic record access (733 KB DOC) – Guidance on managing safeguarding risks and online record access.
• Safeguarding vulnerable groups (838 KB DOC) – Guidance on how specific groups of vulnerable groups of patients may not be able to manage online record access safely.
• Online GP Record Access For Other Sectors (159 KB DOC) – Guidance on GP online services for other organisations.
• Woodman J et al, Online access to medical records: finding ways to minimise harms, BJGP, 2015.
• Online Health and Prescription Services, NHS.uk, – an introduction for patients on GP online services, with links to help patients download the NHS App, get for an NHS Login, and a list of other patient facing services apps that let you register for access to GP online services with the NHs Login.