Children and Young People

Children and Young People are welcome at GP at Hand.

We usually ask that all children under the age of 16 are accompanied by a Parent or Guardian during their appointment. Digital appointments for children will usually always be held by video, rather than telephone. We ask that the child is present during the consultation unless there is a particular reason why this is not appropriate.

Some children may be mature enough to decide that they wish to consult with a Clinician without a Parent or Guardian present. In this instance, the Clinician will need to decide whether the child is competent and mature enough to make decisions about their healthcare independently. The NSPCC has a helpful guide on how this decision is made. In all cases, the rights and safety of the child or Young Person is paramount.

Access to a child’s medical record

If you care for a child aged under 16, and you have legal parental responsibility for them, you can usually get access to their online medical record by asking us to set this up. This is called Proxy Access.

Before granting access, we will usually need to check ID for you and your child, see documents that prove you have parental responsibility (eg a birth certificate), and review the child’s record for any safeguarding issues. If your child is aged 11 or over, we will usually also check that they consent to you accessing their record on their behalf.

Proxy access will be automatically switched off on the child’s 11th birthday. You can apply to have this switched back on, with your child’s consent, by contacting us.