In order to view a patient’s SCR, there are a number of criteria that must be fulfilled:

• You will need to be authorised to access the SCR, using an NHS smartcard and passcode. You must log in with your own smartcard and have the appropriate roles designated to it. If you are a newly-qualified pharmacy professional you will need to have the SCR role assigned to your smartcard. Then, submit a request to NHS Digital using the online SCR role request form
• You can only access SCRs for those patients whose care you are involved with and when there is a clinical need to do so. This is called having a ‘legitimate relationship’. In a community pharmacy setting, for example, ongoing legitimate relationships are where you are the nominated pharmacy and are providing an ongoing episode of care by dispensing repeat prescriptions and preparing dosette boxes. A legitimate relationship would also be in place when a patient seeks over-the-counter advice or advice by telephone
• You can only access the SCR once you have ‘permission to view’ – this involves gaining informed, explicit consent from the patient to view the record.

There are three types of consent that can be obtained from a patient:

• Asking the patient directly each time
• Getting extended permission to view
• Getting permission to view by proxy.

For any type of consent given by patients, it is good practice to record the date on which consent was given and the identity of the person giving consent. Representatives can only give consent on the patient’s behalf if they have the relevant power of attorney or if it is a parent giving consent for access to their child’s SCR. A child with the capacity to understand and give consent in their own right may do so.