Functions of access and store digital patient documents

The National Document Repository (NDR) Access and store digital patient documents service allows you to: 

• search for a patient 

• view a patient record 

• search within a record 

• download a patient record 

• remove a patient record 

• download the digital Lloyd George summary report 

• upload a patient record (coming soon)  

This section gives information about each function and solutions to problems you might have. 

This function can be used by admin and clinical users 

Using a patient’s NHS number, this function will search the NDR database and locate the patient’s Lloyd George record if it is stored in the NDR.  

Enter the patient’s NHS number into the search field to find the patient’s record. You might use this function to: 

• check if a patient’s Lloyd George record is in the NDR  

• find a patient’s Lloyd George record so that you can carry out a task

You may see these error messages when entering NHS numbers in the Search for a patient page:  

If you enter an NHS number which is not found in the Personal Demographics Service (PDS), you will see this message.

This could be because events such as adoption have meant the patient’s NHS number has been changed.  First, check you have entered the NHS number correctly. If you still get this message, contact the National Service Desk on [email protected] or 0300 303 5035.  

If you enter the NHS number of a patient who is not registered at your practice, you will see this error message. 

You can only view the records of patients registered at your practice. The patient’s current practice will be able to access their record.  

This function can be used by admin and clinical users.

It allows you to view a patient’s Lloyd George record, scroll through it and search for typed information within it. You might use this function to: 

• check a patient’s Lloyd George record is stored in the NDR  

• find medical information in a patient’s Lloyd George record, for example, vaccinations or allergies

The toolbar within the 'Available records' page allows you to:

• search for keywords within a record
• zoom in and out of a record
• rotate a record
• print a record, for example if you need to provide a print copy to another organisation for legal or insurance reasons

When records are transferred into the NDR, we will validate them by matching the filename with the patient’s current and historical names on the Personal Demographics Service (PDS).  

When you search for a patient’s record in the NDR using an NHS number, it will show the record with the patient’s most recent name.  

If you download the record, the name used in the record’s filename will be the patient’s name at the time of the record being scanned. Previous names may also be found within the record.  

Changes to a patient’s name will not impact your ability to find the patient’s record. You won't be able to change their name on the record within the NDR.  

1. You may see the message record does not exist if there is a problem returning and displaying the record. You can try reloading the page or downloading the record. If you are still having problems, contact the service team by emailing [email protected]. 

2. If there is no scanned Lloyd George record available for a patient, you will see this screen.

This could be because: 

• the patient does not have Lloyd George record 

• their Lloyd George record has not been scanned and transferred into the service yet 

Admin users can use this function. 

This function allows you to download a patient’s Lloyd George record to your computer. It will save the files in your downloads folder. 

You might use this function to securely share a patient’s Lloyd George record with a clinician or a third party, such as a solicitor as part of an information request. You will also need to download a record to redact it.

You do not need to download Lloyd George records from this service and attach them to a patient's electronic health record (EHR).  Lloyd George records can stay stored in the service for you to access when needed. Some GP system suppliers allow practices to attach a Lloyd George record to a patient's EHR. If you chose to do this, do not remove the Lloyd George record from this service. 

We have recently changed the way records are transferred into the NDR. This means download functionality might be different depending on when the patient had their record transferred into the service.   

Records transferred into the service during the first phase of the roll out:  

• these records are split into separate files 

• you can either select to download individual files or all files 

• the record will be downloaded into a zip folder and shown as separate files  

Records transferred into the service during the second phase and later: 

• these records are not split into separate files, they have been transferred as one complete record  

• you will only be able to download the entire record as one complete PDF file  

If you can’t download a file, you can try reloading the page or downloading your record again. If you are still having problems, contact the service team on [email protected]. 

Once you’ve downloaded a record, NHSmail users can send large files for free via Egress. You don’t need to password protect the file as this is a secure encrypted email service.  

For guidance and large file transfers  

This service is only provided to users with an nhs.net email address. Please contact the Patient Record Management team if you need support to securely share downloaded files from the NDR.  

This function allows you to remove a patient’s entire Lloyd George record from the NDR. You can only remove whole records, not single files.  

Admin users can use this function.  

You might use this function to remove a patient record from the service once the data retention period for that record has passed. 

Accidental removal of a patient record  

There are safeguards in place within the service to prevent you from accidentally removing a patient’s Lloyd George record. These include warnings which advise you on the circumstances under which you can remove records, and a page where you will need to select to confirm that you want to remove the record: 

When you remove a record, it is held in back-up storage for 8 weeks and can be restored to the service during that time if needed. You can contact the service team at [email protected] to restore a removed record. 

Reinstating removed records 

During removal, you are advised to keep a paper copy of the record. If you have accidentally removed a patient’s Lloyd George record from the service, and the record is not available in the back-up storage, then this paper copy can be scanned and re-uploaded to the service. Contact your ICB for support to upload this paper record into the service.   

If you do not have a paper copy to re-upload, please contact [email protected] for assistance. 

Removing selected pages from a record 

You cannot currently remove individual pages from a record if they are incorrect. To correct pages of a record you need to download it, edit it using a PDF manager such as Adobe, then ask your scanning provider to re-upload it to the NDR. We are working on the functionality that will allow practices to upload individual records.