Managing proxy access and id identification

Modified on Thu, 23 Nov, 2023 at 12:14 PM

GPs sometimes ask how to verify a proxy relationship claimed by a patient.

Proxy access via askmyGP is best regarded as 'on behalf of'. This is not the same as full proxy access as might more commonly be defined, as the person making a request can see only requests that they have made, or which relate to them (if they have an account).

This means that there is no new information available to the person submitting the request. To help manage onward interaction these cases are highlighted in the top right of the screen.

Our recommendation is to follow the NHS-provided guidance around verifying the identity of patients and others when managing requests. Additionally (especially for those turning 16) there is a report available in the embedded reports that can be filtered by age to illustrate where extra care might be needed.

Here's a link to the NHS guidance:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/identity-verification.pdf

The spine lookup (automatic for online patients) addresses the "Vouching with confirmation" process. The management of identity is more critical at the point of response, than at the point of request

Visibility of requests

We are also asked about the level of visibility patients and proxies have of requests raised by, or on behalf of them, we have summarised below:

If a Parent were to raise a request on behalf of the Child (where the child has their own access to the same patient record):

The child would have visibility of the request raised by their proxy and any messages sent within it from their 'previous request' list (as the request relates to their record)
The parent would also have visibility of the request in their own askmyGP account, as they were the one to raise the request on their child's behalf
When a new message is sent by the practice in response to the request, only the parent would receive a notification email, as they are the one who raised the request
However, the child could see that message if they accessed the request from their previous request list in their account

If the Child were to raise a request on their own behalf (but their Parent also has proxy access for their account to do so for them):

The child would have visibility of the request and any messages sent within it from their 'previous request list (as the request relates to their record, and they were the one to raise the request)
The parent would not have visibility of the request in their account, as they were not the one to raise the request, so the request has no association with the parent's askmyGP account
When a new message is sent by the practice in response to the request, the child would receive a notification email, as they are the one who raised the request and only the child would be able to see that message, as the parent does not have any visibility of the request thread from their own account.