Granting other people access to your medical record (Proxy Access)
A proxy is someone authorised to access a patient’s MyCare account on their behalf – typically a parent or carer.
Can I view the health record of a family member via my patient portal account?
Yes, as long as your family member has a patient portal account and they have granted you proxy access to their medical records. Proxy access allows carers such as a parent or guardian to log into their personal MyCare UCLH account and then connect to information regarding their family member.
Depending on the level of access provided, sensitive clinical information or specific functionalities within the portal may not be accessible by the proxy.
Please note that Proxy Access must be enabled by a member of staff during a visit and with the patient's consent. Full access, such as for those with Power of Attorney authority may be obtained after supplying relevant documentation.
Can my spouse and I share one MyCare UCLH account?
No, due to the sensitive nature of medical records, each patient has their own MyCare account with direct access to their own personal health record.
However you can name them as a proxy user, which would enable them to access your health record from their MyCare account after you have approved this.
You can grant Proxy Access to your spouse by stating this to a member of staff during your next appointment. You must be at least 18 years old to have Proxy Access to another person’s medical record.
Can I use my patient portal account to ask questions regarding the health matters of a family member?
No, please refrain from doing so. Your MyCare UCLH account offers direct access to your personal health record. Any communications and messages link into your health record. Anyone receiving the messages would answer based on information contained within your medical record.
Therefore, it is not suitable to use MyCare to ask questions about a family member. You can also contact the medical team looking after your family member via the contact details on their clinic letter or on this website.
How can I protect myself from unauthorised people using my patient portal account?
As a patient you should never give others access to your portal account by providing them with your username and confidential password. However you can name them as a proxy, which would enable them to access your patient records using their MyCare UCLH access.
Can my carer have access to my medical records?
Yes, but only if you decide that you would like them to become a proxy. You should not provide them with the username and password to your patient portal account. Note: as a patient you will always be able to cancel proxy access.
Can my carer use a UCLH MyCare account to view my medical records from another organisation?
Yes. If your carer has access to your medical records at another organisation, and you have also authorised them to share data with us at UCLH, your carer will be able to see this information by logging into their MyCare UCLH account. Note that your carer will need to have a MyCare UCLH account, linked to their account at another Organisation, to see your information at both Organisations.
Please note that your carer will not be able to view any of your medical records generated at UCLH, unless you specifically agree to it.
How can I see my proxies?
To view your current proxies, you can access the Friends and Family Access page in MyCare by clicking this link to MyCare (you will need to log into your account).
What if I no longer want my proxy to be able to view information about me?
If you are 16 years old or over, you click the “Remove” button for your proxy from the page above. This will remove your proxy from your MyCare account, and the proxy will no longer be able to see information about your health record at UCLH.
If you are under the age of 16, please contact your clinical team who can do this for you. This is a straightforward process and is in place to prevent Proxy Access being removed accidentally.
How does proxy access change with age?
If you have standard proxy access to a young person under the age of 16 you will be able to see clinical and appointment related information via MyCare. When the young person turns 16 you will only then be able to see appointment related information. When they turn 18 proxy access is lost automatically although this can then be manually re-established at a later point.