What is proxy access?
We can give someone proxy access so they can help another person manage their GP health and care.
A proxy may be able to act for the person they support, by:
- ordering repeat prescriptions
- booking appointments
- contacting the surgery or speaking to surgery staff
- viewing test results or vaccinations
- accessing all or part of the GP health record, to help with health-related tasks and managing health issues
Reasons for proxy access
Reasons for wanting or needing help could include:
- having a physical or mental health condition
- technical barriers, for example not having a computer or a smartphone
- language barriers, for example if it's not easy to access services in English
- practical reasons, for example working shifts or unsocial hours
- age, for example a child may need a parent to manage their GP services
If you're aged 16 or over, you can ask for someone to be your proxy for any reason. It does not stop you having access to your GP services yourself.
If you help someone else with prescriptions, booking appointments or managing their health and care, getting proxy access could make it easier and more convenient.
How to get proxy access
If you are able please visit us and complete our proxy access form. We will make sure that you understand why you are doing it and agree to it, where needed.
When you come to fill in the form if you can please bring photo ID with you to prove who you are.
We will then decide what access, if any, is appropriate, and make the changes in the clinical systems to set it up.
Adults who cannot understand and agree to proxy access
Proxy access for another adult is usually given based on them requesting it themselves, or understanding and agreeing to it. Adults aged 16 and over are assumed to be able to understand and consent to their own treatment. This is called having capacity.
If the person you want to help cannot understand or agree to you acting for them, for example because of a condition such as dementia, this is called lacking capacity.
We may still be able to give you access. We will make a decision based on what is in the best interests of the person who needs help.
Parent and guardian proxy access for children under 16
You can only get online access to the GP services of a child aged under 16 if you are their parent or guardian with legal parental responsibility.
How to get parent and guardian proxy access
If you care for a child aged under 16, and you have legal parental responsibility for them, you can usually get proxy access by asking the GP surgery to set this up. You may need to fill in a form.
Before giving you access, we need to check:
- ID for you and the child, for example passports
- documents that help to prove you have parental responsibility, for example a birth certificate
- with anyone else that shares parental responsibility with you
- for safeguarding issues
- that the child consents to your access (agrees to it) or lacks capacity to consent, if they are aged 11 or over
- You do not have to live at the same address as the child to have access.
You can have proxy access for more than 1 child, and a child can have more than 1 proxy acting on their behalf.
Children's rights, capacity and consent
Children have the same legal rights over their data as adults. The GP surgery must get the child's consent before giving access to their online GP services, if the child is able to understand and make an informed decision. This is called having capacity.
Children aged 11 or over are usually considered to have the capacity to consent, or refuse access, unless for example they have a medical condition or learning disability that affects their understanding.
When your online access will stop
Parent and guardian access usually ends when a child is 16. If your child wants or needs you to help manage their GP services when they are 16 or over, your need to set it up again with us.
We also have an automatic cut-off age of 11 and 13, where online parent and guardian access is stopped to protect an older child's confidentiality.
If your access stops, you can ask us to restore it. We will check the child agrees to your access (consents) first.
You can tell us in advance if you think your child will not be able to understand what it means to give you access to their online GP services (called lacking capacity).