GP health records in the App

Patients can view information from their GP health record in the NHS App. 

All GP surgeries in England are required to give patients online access to new information as it is added to their GP health record. Patients should be able to read new entries, including free text, in their health record. This applies to future (prospective) record entries and not historic data.

Patients can now view this information under the prescriptions, appointments, test results, health conditions and documents sections of the NHS App. Find our more about the recent changes to the NHS App to make it easier for patients to use.

Medicines record

Under Prescriptions, patients can view their Medicines record to see details of their prescriptions, including the items prescribed and the prescription type. Find out more about prescriptions in the NHS App.

Appointment notes and other updates

Under Appointments, patients can see their Appointment notes and other updates. This is also known as their consultation notes and events.

You can choose what patients can see in their record and set how far back patients can view their record.

Test results

Patients can see some GP and hospital ordered test results in the NHS App. If a patient has had multiple tests of the same type, they may be able to see a graph of their results over time.

The responsible clinician and organisation should review results before uploading them to the patient’s health record, giving the clinician the chance to contact the patient first to discuss results if necessary.

In some cases, the patient might see results before a doctor or nurse has had a chance to speak to them. Where this happens, the doctor or nurse will try to contact them as soon as possible. It might be that the test results are only slightly abnormal and are of little consequence, so we would always recommend that patients discuss test results they are concerned about with their GP.

Health conditions

Depending on the clinical system you use, your patients may see the option to view their allergies, adverse reactions and health conditions in the NHS App.

Documents

Patients can view their documents in the NHS App. Find out more about how to upload documents in the right file type.

Help with abbreviations

Patients can see the option to get help with abbreviations at the bottom of each screen to help them to understand common medical abbreviations.

Features may vary depending on your system supplier.

Viewing health records in the NHS App benefits most patients, but may pose risks for some vulnerable adults. Their records can contain sensitive information that could cause harm, particularly if the patient is under coercive control.

Some at-risk patients may already be known to you and have safeguarding plans in place. Others may not be known, or their circumstances may change. When you identify a risk, consider record access as part of your safeguarding planning to keep patients safe.

Find out more about clinical safety, safeguarding and the NHS App