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Health records (also known as patient or medical records) are a log of your health and the treatment you have received from the NHS. We hold this information to ensure you receive the best possible care now and in the future.

You can access information that we hold about your care on our secure personal health record system, the Care Information Exchange. Your record may included these details from your treatment at our hospitals (Hillingdon and Mount Vernon):

• blood test results (some results have a 28-day delay before displayed in CIE)
• x-ray and scan reports (all radiology reports have a 28-day delay before displayed in CIE)
• letters and discharge summaries
• appointment dates and times, both past and future

You may also see information from any recent treatment at these hospitals: Charing Cross, Queen Charlotte's & Chelsea, Hammersmith, St Mary's, Western Eye, Chelsea & Westminster, West Middlesex, Ealing and Northwick Park. The Care Information Exchange is powered by Patients Know Best.

If you have any questions about the Care Information Exchange, please contact the North West London CIE support desk by sending an email to imperial.care-informationexchange@nhs.net.

Register for access to the Care Information Exchange

Register using an NHS login

You can also register using an NHS login. There are three steps.

1. Get your NHS login
   You will need an email address, a mobile phone number and a way to prove your identity – this can be a passport, a driving licence, or a European identity card. This step takes a little time but you only need to do it once.
2. Create your Care Information Exchange account
   Your account will allow you to view your information on your Care Information Exchange record including appointments, letters, and test results.
3. Link your NHS login to your Care Information Exchange account
   This is the final step. Now you can log in to your Care Information Exchange account using your NHS login username and password whenever you want to. If you need help in completing your registration, contact the Care Information Exchange service desk.

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.

Opting Out

If you would like to opt out from viewing your records in CIE, you can remove your email address from the system. Information will be retained within the system so it can be used by clinicians for your direct care and treatment.

Please contact the North West London CIE support desk with your request, by sending an email to imperial.care-informationexchange@nhs.net.

What our patients say about the Care Information Exchange

David has type one diabetes. He is cared for by Charing Cross Hospital, his GP surgery and Hillingdon Hospital and gets information from all three on the Care Information Exchange. ‘I can show my GP my latest blood test results. It saves time for both of us and we can make decisions about my care quickly.’

Linda’s Care Information Exchange record helped saved her from spending a weekend on a hospital ward in Bradford. It gave the consultant the information needed to safely discharge her. ‘Staff at the Bradford hospital were amazed when I showed them what the Care Information Exchange gives patients.’

Keeping your data secure

The Care Information Exchange 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 Care Information Exchange 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.

Accessing your health records

If you’d prefer not to use our secure patient portal, or if you’d like copies of past records, follow the procedures below to request your records.

Under UK Data Protection legislation you are entitled to have access to your record. All you need to do is print and complete the application form below, and send it to the address provided along with proof of your identity.

Access_to_Health_Records_GDPR.pdf [pdf] 236KB

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.