Your health records
How we collect, use, retain and share personal information which we hold is described in the Trust’s Privacy Notice
How to access my health records
St George’s provides patients with 2 options to access their data.
- Firstly, the Trust has an app called “MyCare” which is connected to our patient administration system and allows for real time access to certain information and provides patients with the ability to view appointment letters, clinic letters and documentation. Please see “St George’s MyCare App” section below for the full list.
- Alternatively, you can access your information via a Subject Access Request (SAR) which is a legal right provided to you under the Data Protection Act 2018. Please see “Subject Access Request” section below for full details on how to get started online.
How we collect, use, retain and share personal information which we hold is described in the Trust’s.
St George’s MyCare App
MyCare is a secure online system provided by St George’s that allows you to look at information from your hospital record, view hospital appointments, receive test results and messages from your hospital care team. It is available from your computer, tablet, or smartphone.
My Care currently offers patients the following features:
- View upcoming appointments and appointment letters *
- Receive messages directly from your consultant or care lead
- Complete questionnaires prior to attending hospital, such as pre-op questionnaires
- View hospital letters and documentation
- View your test results *
- View your known allergies
- Access links to useful healthcare information
* Some sensitive or potentially sensitive information will not appear on the portal. This includes some clinic appointments or tests results. Your care team will discuss your results with you; and we will notify you by letter about your appointment. If you have any concerns about missing information, please raise this with your care team.
To sign up to the MyCare App please visit our internet page.
Subject Access Request
If you would like access to your hospital health records, request digitally using our secure SAR Portal Click get started online, then follow the instructions to set-up your account or login if you have an existing account.
Download the Requester Portal Guide and view the FAQs at the bottom of this page to help you through the process. You’ll need to supply identification as part of the request process – you can find out what you need to supply by downloading the Identification documents needed to access health records document.pdf.
Requests are managed electronically by our dedicated team and once complete, patients will be able to view their health records using a download function within the portal, reducing the need for paper copies.
When making your request, please ensure the correct application form is selected. This will help the team process your request.
Confidentiality
Your health record is kept confidential within the hospital at all times and is only shared with staff when they need it to carry out their job. All staff are required to work to strict professional and contractual codes of confidentiality, and where possible we will anonymise information so that individual patients cannot be identified.
The only time information will be shared to outside organisations is if they are directly involved in your care, for instance, your GP, social worker, community nurses or other hospital. We also share information with organisations responsible for checking the quality of care (such as a clinical audit).
Accessing your Health Records FAQs
Yes, as a patient, you can get a copy of your health records digitally, through the online secure online portal: https://stgeorgesnhs.ams-sar.com/. Click get started online, then follow the instructions to set-up your account or login if you have an existing account. A user guide is available to help you through the process on this internet page.
No, the Trust must provide a copy of the information free of charge. However, the Trust can charge a “reasonable fee” when the request is deemed excessive or repetitive.
The Trust must respond to your request within one calendar month. The Subject Access team will inform you if it is going to take longer than one month.
Yes, you can track and see the status of your request on the online portal via the “Manage Requests” section. You will also receive emails from the Trust if you need to provide more information for your request. The sender will be “Sars No Reply”. You can log in to the portal at any time to check your request and respond to any messages.
Not always, in some circumstances the Trust is legally required to withhold all or some of the information held in an individual’s health record where:
- the identity of an individual cannot be satisfied by the Trust.
- consent of the individual has not been given but is legally required.
- it has been judged that supplying the information is likely to cause serious harm to the physical or mental health or condition of the patient or any other person.
- providing access would disclose information relating to or provided by a third party who had not consented to the disclosure. This exemption may not apply where that third party is an NHS health professional involved in the care of the individual.
- a deceased person had indicated that they did not wish information to be disclosed, or the record contains information that the deceased person expected to remain confidential
- the information may no longer be available
The Subject Access Team will inform you if one or more of the above exemptions is applicable to your requested records.
Unless otherwise indicated, children aged 13 or older are usually considered to have the capacity to give or refuse consent to parents or those with parental responsibility requesting access to their health records. A person with parental responsibility (as defined in the Children Act 1989) can make an application on the behalf of a child only if it shown that the child does NOT have capacity.
A person with appropriate parental responsibility will usually be entitled to access the records of a child who is aged 12 or younger.
When the Trust has completed your request, you’ll receive an email. Follow the instructions to download the files. Once downloaded, you are responsible for the confidential, secure storage of the records, and, when they are no longer required, their secure disposal.
If you have requested Radiology images, these will be burnt to a CD and posted to you via recorded delivery.
Subject Access Team
Health Records Department
St George’s University NHS Foundation Trust
Blackshaw Road
London,
SW17 0QT
Tel: 0208 725 0508
Email: MedicalRecordsSAR@stgeorges.nhs.uk
Business Hours: 10am to 3pm – Monday to Friday excluding English Bank Holidays
Contact the Health Records Team
Subject Access Team
Health Records Department
St George’s University NHS Foundation Trust
Blackshaw Road
London,
SW17 0QT
Tel: 0208 725 0508
Email: MedicalRecordsSAR@stgeorges.nhs.uk
Business Hours: 10am to 3pm – Monday to Friday excluding English Bank Holidays