Some patients have discovered that their medical records are available to view on a new app.

The Manx health service admits that people who have registered for the NHS App have been able to view their medical history, and for some people this has been ’unexpected’.

The Department of Health and Social Care and Manx Care say that no additional sharing of data has been involved and patient data is protected, private and secure as it always has been, in line with the original commitments made.

The department said: ’The DHSC and Manx Care acknowledge that the public were not informed that the NHS App would be able to view patients’ health records, nor of the governance arrangements which allow for this.’

It is the responsibility of the data controller, in this case GPs and Manx Care, to let people know how their data is held or processed.

With regard to the patient record, that responsibility passed from the DHSC to Manx Care in April this year.

The department said patient information was held securely on a patient administration system when they register with a GP for NHS services.

It added that patients’ data had not been shared with any third parties and that information which could be seen on the NHS App is only that held in EMIS (Egton Medical Information Systems), the accredited and quality assured system used to host millions of GP records.

The new app has been introduced almost five years after patients in the Isle of Man have been able to see their medical records online via EMIS Patient Access. The NHS App can be accessed more easily on phones and other devices without having to key in a website address.

The introduction of the EMIS Patient Access service in 2016 meant for the first time, Manx patients could view their records, consultations, test results and other information held securely by their GP online.

The app also offers patients a way to contact their local practice, to book appointments and request prescription medicines, from their home computer or mobile device.

To enable this development, Isle of Man patient data is held on behalf of GPs in the EMIS datacentre in the UK, a system that the government says is fully compliant with data protection and privacy legislation.

As owners of the patient record, GPs remain in control of access to their patients’ data, underpinned by agreements within their practices. Patients are informed their data is not shared with anyone in the UK.

The introduction of the NHS app has given UK and Isle of Man residents a direct route to view their health records, as the app connects securely to their patient data held on EMIS, in the same way as EMIS Patient Access.

If a patient does not wish to use the NHS app then no data is available. The app also allows Manx patients to access other applications offering a range of advice and information to promote health and wellbeing.

The DHSC said it was ’important’ that the relationship between patient data and the portals that access it were clearly understood by patients, as well as the safeguards in place to ensure security.

’This information will be clearly communicated to patients via the Manx Care Privacy Notice and the NHS App terms of use,’ it said.