Before access to medical records and any online service is granted, patients will need to prove their identity to practice staff. This is to:
- Ensure patient confidentiality
- Provide secure access to personal, sensitive information
There are three acceptable ways of confirming patient identity:
1. Documentation
Most patients can prove their identity with documentation. Two forms of documentation should be provided as evidence of identity, and one should contain a photo. Acceptable documents include valid passports, photo driving licences and bank statements (issued within the last 3 months).
A full list of acceptable documents is published by the Cabinet Office. You can also verify your ID when using the NHS login.
2. Personal vouching
Practice staff can personally vouch for a patient they know. They must be confident of the identity of the patient. The name of the person vouching for an applicant’s identity, the method used, and date should be recorded in the patient record.
3. Vouching with confirmation of information held in the patient record
If a patient is registered with the practice but not known personally to any staff, it is acceptable to confirm the patient’s ID using additional security information.
This should be information taken from a patient’s record, such as current medication, date of any recent hospital visit or procedure, full names of any other inhabitants at that address, etc.