My records
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.
View your online health record
You can access information that we hold about your care on our secure personal health record system, the Care Information Exchange (CIE). Your record may include these details from your treatment at our hospitals:
- blood test results
- x-ray and scan reports
- letters and discharge summaries
You will also see information from any recent treatment at these hospitals: Central Middlesex, Chelsea and Westminster, Ealing, Hillingdon, Mount Vernon, Northwick Park, West Middlesex. The CIE is powered by Patients Know Best.
Register for access to the Care Information Exchange (CIE)
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You can create an NHS login and register for the Care Information Exchange now if you are a patient at our hospitals. NHS Login is a national service for you to securely access digital health and care services with one username and password. To get an NHS login, you will need an email address, a mobile phone number and a way to prove your identity – such as a passport, a driving licence, or a European identity card. You can also use the NHS appto access your Care Information Exchange record if your GP practice is in a North West London or North East London borough. If you need help in completing your registration, contact the CIE service desk. |
If you are under 18, or would like to register your child for access to the Care Information Exchange, please register here.
Invitations for the CIE
You may receive an invitation by email or mobile phone text when you:
- have an outpatient appointment scheduled
- check in for an outpatient appointment
- are admitted onto a ward
- attend the emergency department (A&E)
The invitation will contain a link to the registration website on Patients Know Best, which provides the CIE service for the Trust. You can stop the invitations by contacting the CIE service desk.
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. 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.
All applications to see your Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust health records must be made in writing either by downloading and completing our application for health records form, by email, or by post.
Requests for health records should be emailed to: imperial.AccesstoHealthRecords@nhs.net
Letters should be addressed to: Access to Health Records, Health Records Department, Charing Cross Hospital, Fulham Palace Rd, London W6 8RF.
Accessing your x-ray or other images
Should you require copies of your x-rays or other images, please make your request in writing by downloading and completing the application for x-rays/imaging form, by email or by post.
Requests for x-rays should be emailed to: IMPERIAL.IMAGINGCDREQUEST@NHS.NET
If you use the patient portal, your records will be uploaded directly to your CIE account. Please note that any records which cannot be provided electronically will be sent to you in paper format. Solicitors and other third parties will, where possible, be provided with information electronically via password-protected files.
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.
Accessing the health records of people who have died
We are allowed to release the health records of a patient who has died in certain circumstances only.
The patient's personal representative (such as the executor or administrator of their will) and any person who may have a claim arising out of the patient's death may apply for access to the health records by completing an application form for health records (deceased) or writing to the address above. We will require proof of identity and supporting documentation as set out on the application form.
These requests will be assessed on a case by case basis. If you have enquiries around what types of supporting information or identification is required, please contact us on 020 3313 0401 for assistance.
It may take us up to 40 days to respond to requests for records of deceased individuals.
What our patients say about the CIE
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 CIE. ‘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 CIE 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.’
Complaints
If you are unhappy with any aspect of the way in which we deal with your request, you may complain in writing to the Information Commissioner at:
The Office of the Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
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.
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.
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