As part of online access to medical records, the names of practice staff will be accessible to patients. The LMC sought clarification on this from GPC and a summary of their response can be found below:-

“A patient is entitled to know every person that has accessed their health record, including administrative staff members. An individual’s employment at an organisation is not considered confidential information, and therefore is considered to be public. Staff members should be informed of the fact that their names are being published as part of online medical record, but GPC does not believe that this information can be withheld. Practices could provide additional training and information for staff about the Data Protection Act, to help them understand why their name is being published and why this information is not considered confidential information“.

November 2016