Personal health records and your health data explained

What a personal health record is

A personal health record is a way for you to see and, in some cases, add to your own health information through a secure app or website. It is different from the records that clinicians keep to run your care, though the two increasingly connect. In the NHS, much of your GP record — such as your list of medicines, allergies, immunisations, test results and recorded conditions — can now be viewed online. Some records bring together information from more than one place, and some let you record your own details, such as home blood-pressure readings or symptoms. The idea is to help you understand your health, prepare for appointments, and take a more active role in your own care rather than relying on memory or paper letters.

What you can see and do

Through tools like the NHS App and linked services, many people in the UK can now view their GP health record, see and book some appointments, order repeat prescriptions, view test results and read messages from their practice. You may be able to see letters from hospital clinics, check your vaccination history, and access services such as ordering prescriptions to a chosen pharmacy. Some areas offer more joined-up records that include hospital and community information. What is available varies by GP practice and region, and features are still expanding. Having this information to hand means you can check a medicine name before a trip, share an accurate history with a new clinician, and keep track of results without waiting for a phone call.

Keeping your data safe

Health data is among the most sensitive information about you, and it is protected by law and by strict NHS rules. Access to NHS online records uses secure log-in, usually through the NHS App or NHS login, often with identity verification and extra security steps. You control who else can see your record; you should never share your log-in details, and you can set a passcode or biometric lock on your phone. Be alert to scam messages pretending to be from the NHS and asking for log-in or bank details — the NHS will not ask for these by text or email. If you use a shared device, log out fully afterwards. Handling your own record responsibly is part of keeping it private.

Your rights over your information

You have important legal rights over your health information under UK data protection law. You have the right to see the personal data organisations hold about you, usually free of charge, and to ask for mistakes to be corrected. Your information is generally kept confidential and shared only for your care or where the law allows. There are national choices about how your data may be used beyond your direct care — for example for research and planning — and you can register a preference to opt out of this secondary use if you wish, without affecting the care you receive. If you have concerns about how your data has been handled, you can raise them with the organisation or with the Information Commissioner's Office, the UK's data protection regulator.

Getting the most from it — safely

Used well, your personal health record is a powerful tool. Check your medicines and allergies are correct and up to date, and mention anything wrong to your practice. Bring your record, or the key facts from it, to appointments and when travelling. Home readings such as blood pressure can help your clinician, if recorded accurately and at the right times. But a word of caution: seeing results or record entries online, sometimes before a clinician has reviewed them, can cause worry, and medical results need interpreting in context. An abnormal-looking result is not always a problem, and a normal one does not rule everything out. If something concerns you, ask your clinician rather than relying on your own reading or online searches.