The BMA, GMC, NMC, MDU, Health Board Data Protection Officer and the Scottish Central Legal Office have provided Brunton Place Surgery with guidance on our policy for patients requesting to record their consults.
Please be aware of the following –
- We support patients wishing to make open and honest recording of consultations, where they deem it absolutely necessary for personal purposes. For instance, a patient may have had difficulties previously remembering or understanding what is said during a consult or be due to be shown a technique that you will need to reference again in future (how to use an inhaler or self-administer an injection).
- The recording process itself must not interfere with the consultation process or the treatment or care being administered.
- We request that patients are open and honest about wishing to record their consult, and discuss their plans to do so prior to starting the consult with their clinician. We would request that they seek the consent of the clinician prior to recording. We would have a general preference that efforts are made to respect the privacy of the clinician where possible. This could include taking an audio recording rather than a video, positioning the camera to avoid faces and not identifying individuals by name during a recording.
- A note may be made in a patient’s health record stating that they have recorded the consultation or the care being provided.
- Any recordings made during a medical consult are of a private and confidential nature and it is the responsibility of the person recording to keep them safe and secure.
- Any recording is only made for a patient’s personal use and must not be posted on social media or otherwise shared or distributed.
- It is prohibited to record in an area where the confidentiality of other patients could be compromised (e.g. in a waiting room/reception/corridor).
- The misuse of a recording may result in criminal or civil proceedings.
- If a clinician realises that a patient or relative is covertly recording a consult, they are within their rights to end that consultation immediately if they feel unsafe. The patient will be offered alternative options for their care so that they do not come to harm as a result of the consult needing to end prematurely.
- We take any concerns raised by patients regarding their care very seriously. Patients are entitled to see their notes and can arrange to do this by submitting a written request to the practice. Our website details our formal complaints procedure. If there are things that a patient does not understand or is struggling to remember during or after a consult, we encourage them to raise this with their clinician. We are happy to take extra time to explain things or to provide written materials to help patients.
Brunton Place GP Partners 11/04/2025