My records

Keeping your data secure

The CIE uses a system provided by Patients Know Best, and it was funded by Imperial Health Charity for the benefit of patients in north west London.  Your information on the CIE is held in the secure NHS network. It will only be used by health and care professionals for your direct care. You can choose to share your care record with your family, carers, GP and other health professionals if you wish to.

What to include in your health record request

Please specify the information you wish to be made available to you including the hospital/s you have attended, dates of attendance.

Please also ensure that you include proof of identity when you send your request: we require either a copy of a driving licence or passport, or two utility bills. The Trust has a duty to protect the confidentiality of your information and we will only provide the information relating to you if we are satisfied regarding your identity or you have provided your written consent to a third party.

How we respond to your health record request

We will normally respond within one month, however sometimes it may take longer than this to fulfil your request. Where this is the case we will notify you within one month to explain why it will take longer.

A copy of records will normally be provided free of charge. We may charge a fee for a repeat request for copies or where it will take a lot of time to complete the request. If this is the case we will inform you in advance.

Withheld information in your health records

Under data protection legislation, there are certain circumstances where information may be withheld, for example where disclosing personal data would lead to the identification of another individual’s information.

Correcting or erasing information in your health records

You can request for inaccurate information to be corrected. The right to erasure however is not absolute and only applies in certain circumstances. Requests will be considered on a case by case basis.

Accessing other people's health records

You are not permitted to access other people's health records without their written consent and you may be required to provide additional supporting information.

We may be able to give you information relating to another person if:

• they have consented to release information to you
• you have legal parental responsibility, or have been appointed by the court to manage their affairs when they are unable to do so, for example through power of attorney

In the case of children, if it is considered that they understand the reason for the application then their consent may be required.

Your NHS number

Everyone registered with the NHS in England and Wales has their own unique NHS number. 

Your NHS number helps healthcare staff to identify you correctly, find your patient records and ensures the safety of your healthcare.

Your NHS number is printed on the medical card given to you when you register with a GP practice. Each NHS number is made up of ten digits, as shown in this example: 450 557 7104.

How we protect your information

You can find out more about how we collect, use and keep secure information about your care on our privacy page.

Providing care across north west London

Our staff are increasingly working with other health and social care professionals in north west London to provide care. Staff involved in your care need to be able to see relevant information about you, so we are sharing information with health and social care organisations in north west London as required. This information can include your NHS number, age, contact details, next of kin, medication and allergies, appointments, treatment and care, and test results such as blood tests, laboratory tests, and X-rays. This will ensure when you visit your GP practice, the hospital, or get support in your community or at home, your care professional will have the right information about you at the right time.

For example, we are starting to share our Cerner electronic patient record system with Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, which includes Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and West Middlesex University Hospital. Let’s say you are treated at one of our hospitals and at West Middlesex. Your clinical teams will see information that has been collected about you at both trusts. Only staff involved in your direct care will look at your record. And they will have a more complete picture of your health when they make decisions about your care.

We will share your information with health and social care organisations who are involved in looking after you, unless you ask us not to. This is known as “implied consent”. If you would like to opt out of sharing your information with other health and social care organisations, or if you have any questions or concerns, please speak to your clinician or contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service.