NHS App & Online Patients Services
Online Access
Since April 2015, you no longer need to wait on the phone to speak to us to manage many aspects of your care. Just like online banking, you can use a website or app to access GP services on a computer, tablet or smartphone.
Depending on your access level, online services allow you to:
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Book and cancel appointments online with a doctor or nurse at a time that suits you.
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Order repeat prescriptions online, helping you save time and avoid unnecessary trips to the surgery.
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View parts of your GP record online and check information when it’s convenient for you.
Online services are free to use and are just another way of contacting us. To find your NHS Number use this Online Tool.
The NHS App
The NHS App is a secure way to access NHS services on your smartphone, tablet or computer. You can use it to view parts of your GP record, order repeat prescriptions and access other NHS services.
You can use the NHS App for a range of services, including:
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Order repeat prescriptions – request medicines and choose a pharmacy.
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Check and manage appointments – view upcoming appointments (and manage them where enabled).
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View your health record – see information such as allergies and medicines, and (where enabled) test results and consultation notes.
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Get health advice – access trusted NHS health information.
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View your NHS number – quickly access your NHS number.
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Manage data sharing preferences – view and manage relevant settings (where available).
For more details and to Download the app, visit: About the NHS App
ℹ️ Access to your GP health record – what you’ll see
Prospective (new) information: Once your online access is set up, you’ll automatically be able to see new information added to your GP record going forward, such as test results, consultation notes and letters.
Historic (older) information: Information added to your record before you registered for online access may not be visible straight away. If you would like access to older parts of your record, you’ll need to request this from the practice using the online access application form.
This follows national NHS guidance: View your GP health record online (NHS) .
Anima (Online Requests)
Anima is our online triage system that allows you to contact us for medical or administrative requests without needing to wait in a telephone queue.
Anima integrates securely with your medical record and helps our Clinical Triage Team to assess requests and direct you to the most appropriate care. This supports safer and more efficient use of our limited appointments and resources.
Please use Anima to request urgent on-the-day appointments, as well as routine appointments with our clinicians. Appointments will continue to be offered according to clinical urgency and need.
Please provide as much specific information as possible so we can assess your request quickly and accurately.
No internet / not confident with technology?
You can still contact us by phone as usual. Our Reception Team can complete the Anima request with you and will ask the same questions to ensure equity of access.
We encourage patients who can use Anima to do so. This helps reduce telephone queues and keeps phone lines available for those who need them. Completing the request yourself can also be more private if you prefer not to discuss details over the phone.
The first time you submit a request, you will create an Anima account. Your Anima account keeps a record of requests you have made and their outcomes.
Patient Access
Patient Access is a secure online service that lets you manage your GP care from home or on the move, using a computer, tablet or mobile device. You can use it 24/7, wherever you have an internet connection.
With Patient Access you can:
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Book and manage appointments with your GP, nurse or clinician — without phoning the surgery.
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Order and track repeat prescriptions and have them sent to your chosen pharmacy.
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View parts of your medical record securely — including things like allergies, medications and test results.
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Send secure messages to your practice for non-urgent questions (where enabled).
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Manage your account details, such as contact information and password.
To use Patient Access, you need to register and link the service to your GP practice. You can usually do this using a registration letter from your practice or by using NHS login as an alternative way to connect your account.
Apply for Online Access
To apply for online access to your GP record and online services. We may need to verify your identity before access can be enabled. Please collect an Online Services request form from reception at any of our surgery sites. If you would like access to older (historic) information in your record, this also needs to be requested using this form.
🔐 Your information is secure. Details provided are processed in line with NHS and data protection requirements and are only used to set up your online access.
What happens next?
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We review your request.
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If needed, we’ll contact you to confirm your identity.
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Once approved, you’ll be able to use online services where enabled.
🧾 Please note: You’ll automatically see new information added to your record.
Proxy Access
To apply for Proxy access for a child or someone you care for we may need to verify your identity before access can be enabled. Please collect an Proxy Access request form from reception at any of our surgery sites. If you are requesting for anyone over 16, please also collect a Third Party Consent form (if not already in place).
🔐 Proxy Access is where someone is given access to another person’s medical record. For example:
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A parent / guardian where a patient aged 11 or over has given permission.
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A parent / guardian who has legal responsibility for a patient between 11 and 16 where a GP has assessed that the patient is not capable of making their own decisions re medical health.
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A patient / guardian or carer for a patient over the age of 16. In addition we would need a consent form completed by the patient giving them permission.
Young Patients
Young patients between the ages of 11 and 16 who are judged as having capacity to consent by their GP may also consent to give proxy access to someone else.
On the child’s 11th birthday, the scope of the current proxy access will be restricted, unless the GP has already assessed the child as able to make an informed decision and the child has given explicitly consent for their record to be shared. This is a national standard imposed by NHS England to protect the confidentiality rights of young people.
From 11 – 16, a parent with proxy access will be able to manage certain elements of the young person’s record, such as demographic data, and make appointments and order repeat prescriptions, but they will not be able to see the young person’s past appointments or clinical record, although they would still be able to see the current repeat prescription record.
From age 16 the patient will need to contact the surgery if they wish for any current proxy access to be removed or amended.
Parents may continue to be allowed proxy access to their child’s online services, after careful discussion with the GP, if it is felt to be in the child’s best interests.
⚖️ Background Information :
In UK Law, a person’s 18th Birthday draws the line between childhood and adulthood (Children Act 1989 s105). To a more limited extent, 16 and 17 year olds can also take medical decisions independently proportionate to their competence – a child’s age alone is clearly an unreliable predictor of this or her competence to make decisions.
ℹ️Gillick Competence:
The ‘Gillick Test’ helps clinicians to identify children under 16 who have the legal capacity to consent to medical exemption and treatment. They must be able to demonstrate sufficient maturity and intelligence to understand the nature and implications of the proposed treatment, including the risks and alternative course of actions.
In 1983, a judgement in the High Court laid down criteria for establishing whether a child had the capacity to provide valid consent to treatment in specified circumstances, irrespective of their age. Two years later, this criteria was approved in The House of Lords and became widely acknowledged as the Gillick test. The Gillick Test was named after a mother who had challenged health service guidance that would have allowed her daughters aged under 16 to receive contraceptive advice with her knowledge.
⚖️ Fraser Guidelines:
As one of the Law Lords responsible for the Gillick judgement, Lord Fraser specially addressed the dilemma of providing contraceptive advice to girls without the knowledge of their parents. He was particularly concerned with the welfare of the girls who would not abstain from intercourse whether they were given contraception advice was presented as the ‘Fraser guidelines’. Fraser Guidelines are narrower than Gillick competencies and relate specifically to contraception.