This page explains how you can access your GP health record and other online services at Thamesmead Medical Associates, how to give a trusted person online access on your behalf, and how to give a trusted person permission to discuss your care with us by phone or in person. If you need help with any part of this process, please see the section “If you need support” lower down this page, or contact the practice.
Registering for your own online access
You can access your GP services online in two ways:
1. Through the NHS App (the preferred route for most people)
The NHS App is free to download from the Apple App Store or Google Play. When you sign up, you prove your identity to NHS login by uploading a photograph of your ID and recording a short video selfie. This is done directly through the app — you do not need to contact the practice. Once verified, the NHS App will automatically link to your GP record.
You can find out more about the NHS App at https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-app/
2. Through EMIS Patient Access
If you prefer to use EMIS Patient Access instead of (or alongside) the NHS App, please complete our Register for Online Services form [Register for Online Services] on this website. Once we receive your form, a member of our reception team will contact you to verify your identity. We will then set up an online account for you in our clinical system and send you a passphrase so you can complete your registration on Patient Access.
You can find out more about EMIS Patient Access at https://www.patientaccess.com/
What you can do once you are registered
Once you are registered, you can use the NHS App or EMIS Patient Access to do all of the following. These services are available to you automatically as soon as your account is set up — you do not need to apply for them separately.
View your GP health record
You can see any new information added to your record from the date your online account is set up onwards — for example, new consultation notes, test results once they have been reviewed, and letters from hospital. This is called prospective record access, and it is offered by default to all adult patients at the practice, in line with the national GP contract.
If you would also like to see information that was recorded in your record before your online account was set up, please see the section “Full record access — an additional step” below.
Order your repeat prescriptions
Ordering your repeat prescriptions through the NHS App or EMIS Patient Access is the preferred route. It is faster for you, the request flows directly into our prescribing system, and it frees up our phone lines for patients who need them most. You can nominate a local pharmacy to receive your prescription, so that it is ready for you to collect without needing a paper prescription.
Submit online contact forms to the practice
You can use online contact forms to request advice, raise a non-urgent query, or submit an administrative request. These forms flow into our total triage system, where they are reviewed by a clinician and directed to the most appropriate person, service or care pathway.
Update your mobile phone number or email address
You can update the mobile phone number and email address we hold for you directly through the NHS App or EMIS Patient Access. Other personal details such as your name or address still need to be changed by contacting the practice.
What you cannot do online
You cannot book appointments directly through the NHS App or EMIS Patient Access at Thamesmead Medical Associates. This is because we operate a total triage model, which means all requests for appointments are reviewed by a clinician first so we can direct you to the most appropriate person, service, or care pathway. To request an appointment, please submit an online contact form or call the practice.
Full record access — an additional step
If you want to see information that was recorded in your record before your online account was set up — for example, older consultation notes, historical test results, or past hospital letters — you can request full record access. This is an additional step on top of the standard online access described above, and it is not given automatically.
Why full record access needs an extra step
Older parts of a record sometimes contain information that needs to be reviewed before it is made visible online — for example, to make sure nothing is shared that could cause harm to you or anyone else. Because of this, we need to do an additional check before enabling full record access. This may take a few extra days and, in some cases, the review may need to be done by a GP before access is given.
How to request full record access
If you would like full record access, please tick the relevant box on the Register for Online Services form [Register for Online Services]. You can request full record access at the same time as registering for online access for the first time, or you can request it later if you already have an online account and want to add full record access to it.
Proxy access — letting someone else manage your online services
Proxy access is a formal arrangement by which you allow another person (a proxy) to have their own login to the NHS App or EMIS Patient Access so that they can view your record, order your repeat prescriptions, or submit online contact forms on your behalf. A proxy is usually a family member, carer, or trusted friend.
Who can have proxy access
- A parent or person with parental responsibility for a child under the age of 11 (full access)
- A parent or person with parental responsibility for a young person aged 11 to 15, subject to a review by a GP of the young person’s ability to make their own decisions
- A carer, family member, or trusted friend of an adult aged 16 or over, with the patient’s explicit consent
- A person holding a Lasting Power of Attorney for health and welfare, or acting as a Court Appointed Deputy, for an adult who lacks capacity to consent
How to apply
To apply for proxy access, both the patient and the proxy need to complete and sign the Form 2 — Online Proxy Access Request [Online Proxy Access Request]. The form is available to download from this page.
Once you return the completed form, a member of our reception team will contact you to verify the identity of both the patient and the proxy. We need to see photographic identification (passport, driving licence, or similar) for both parties before any access is enabled. Once we are satisfied that everything is in order, we will set up the proxy account and send the proxy the details they need to register on the NHS App or EMIS Patient Access.
A note about children and young people
When a child reaches the age of 11, EMIS automatically restricts the proxy account so that the proxy can no longer see the child’s medical record or order repeat prescriptions. The proxy retains only limited transactional access. This is a national rule designed to protect the confidentiality of young people as they grow up. At the age of 16, the proxy access is automatically ended in full. Proxies are sent an automated email three months before each of these transitions to explain what is happening and what to do if they want to apply to continue proxy access. Any continuation beyond 11 or 16 is treated as a new application and will need to be reviewed by a GP before access is given.
Withdrawing proxy access
You (the patient) can withdraw proxy access at any time by contacting the practice. You do not need to give a reason. We will also withdraw proxy access if we become aware of any safeguarding concerns, or if we judge that it is in your best interests to do so.
Verbal authority — letting someone discuss your care with us
If you want a family member, carer, or trusted friend to be able to contact the practice to discuss your care on your behalf — without having any online access to your record — you can give them what we call verbal authority. This lets the named person contact us, ask questions about your care, and receive information from our staff within the scope that you agree to.
Verbal authority does not give the named person any access to your GP record, the NHS App, or EMIS Patient Access. It is only permission for us to speak to them about you.
How to apply
To give verbal authority to a named person, please complete and sign the Form 3 — Third-Party Verbal Authority Request [Third-Party Verbal Authority Request]. The form is available to download from this page. On the form, you can choose to give unrestricted authority (so the named person can discuss any aspect of your care with us) or limited authority (for example, only to discuss repeat medication, or only to discuss a specific long-term condition).
Once you return the completed form, a member of our reception team will contact you to verify your identity. Because no record access is being given, we do not need to verify the identity of the named person — only yours.
Withdrawing verbal authority
You can withdraw verbal authority at any time by contacting the practice. You do not need to give a reason.
Using the service responsibly
Online access to your GP services is a valuable tool, and we ask all patients and proxies to use it responsibly. In particular:
Keep your login details private
Never share your password or login details with anyone, even a family member or carer. If you want someone else to manage your care online, please apply for proxy access properly using Form 2, so that the other person has their own login and the practice has a clear record of the arrangement.
Do not use online contact forms for urgent or emergency problems.
Online contact forms are reviewed as part of our total triage process, which takes time. They are not a route for anything urgent. If you have a medical emergency, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. If you need urgent but non-emergency advice, call 111 or contact the practice by phone.
Please communicate respectfully.
Online contact forms and messages are read by real people — our reception and clinical staff. We ask all patients and proxies to communicate with the practice in the same respectful way you would expect from us. The practice reserves the right to withdraw online access where it is misused, for example where contact forms are used for abusive, threatening, or harassing communications toward our staff.
If you need support
We know that not everyone finds it easy to use online services or to fill in forms. If you or someone you care for has difficulty with any part of this process — whether that is completing a form, using a smartphone, proving your identity, printing or signing a paper form, or anything else — please contact reception. We will do our best to find another way to help you, so that you are not disadvantaged.
This includes making reasonable adjustments where needed. For example, we can complete a form with you over a video call, arrange for a member of the team to help you in person, or find alternative ways to record your consent for proxy access or verbal authority so that you can still have the support you need.
You are not alone in finding this difficult, and we would rather you asked for help than missed out on using the services.
Withdrawing access at any time
Whatever kind of access you have set up — your own online account, proxy access for someone else, or verbal authority for someone to discuss your care — you can change or withdraw it at any time by contacting the practice. You do not need to give a reason, and we will action your request straight away.
Further information and useful links
Thamesmead Medical Associates forms
Register for Online Services (Form 1) [Register for Online Services]
Form 2 — Online Proxy Access Request [Online Proxy Access Request]
Form 3 — Third-Party Verbal Authority Request [Third-Party Verbal Authority Request]
NHS App
Information about the NHS App: https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-app/
NHS App help and support: https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-app/nhs-app-help-and-support/
NHS login help: https://help.login.nhs.uk/
EMIS Patient Access
EMIS Patient Access website: https://www.patientaccess.com/
EMIS Patient Access support: https://support.patientaccess.com/
Proxy access (NHS general information)
How to get proxy access (NHS): https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/gps/gp-services-for-someone-else-proxy-access/
Contact the practice
If you have any queries about online services, proxy access, or verbal authority, please contact the practice using an admin request through the online contact form, or call reception.