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Part of Proxy access: advice and guidance

Step 9: Communicate the decision to grant or deny proxy access

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Step 8: Grant proportionate and time-bound proxy access

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Step 10: Review and manage access on an ongoing basis

Where proxy access is granted, staff should tell the proxy and, where appropriate, the patient that this has been done.

Where proxy access is denied, clinical professionals and staff should consider on a case-by-case basis whether they communicate the decision to the patient and/or the proxy. They are not required to disclose any information that may put the patient or the proxy at harm.

Clinical professionals and staff should audit the processing of a request for proxy access within the patient’s record to support future decisions on proxy access.

As above, where proxy access has been denied, clinical professionals and staff should consider the extent to which this information should be visible to patients or proxies within digital services.

Last edited: 6 May 2026 4:36 pm

Previous Chapter

Step 8: Grant proportionate and time-bound proxy access

Next Chapter

Step 10: Review and manage access on an ongoing basis

Chapters

  1. Proxy access: advice and guidance
  2. Glossary
  3. Roles and responsibilities
  4. Use of the terms "must" and "should" in this guidance
  5. Process overview
  6. Step 1: Determine if proxy access is appropriate, that is, if the benefits outweigh the risks
  7. Step 2: Evaluate the safety of proxy access
  8. Step 3a: Get the patient's informed consent to proxy access
  9. Step 3b: Inform the patient about the opportunity of self-access
  10. Step 4: Rely on another basis for access if the patient cannot provide consent
  11. Step 5: Check if the proxy has proven their identity to access online services
  12. Step 6: Understand if anyone else should have proxy access to the patient’s record
  13. Step 7: Redact sensitive information from the proxy’s view based on what is being shared
  14. Step 8: Grant proportionate and time-bound proxy access
  15. Step 9: Communicate the decision to grant or deny proxy access
  16. Step 10: Review and manage access on an ongoing basis
  17. Appendix 1: complex scenarios in relation to granting and managing parental access