Using SystmOnline - A Guide for Patients


Frequently Asked Questions

This guide covers the following topics:

Note: The online services detailed in this guide may not be offered by the healthcare service who has granted you access to SystmOnline.

About SystmOnline

SystmOnline allows patients or someone acting on behalf of the patient to proactively manage their care. The online services available include the ability to view an online Electronic Medical Record (EMR) as well as booking appointments and managing medication.

SystmOnline is available as an online service or via apps, providing patients with convenience and flexibility when managing their care.

The SystmOnline apps can be used on Apple devices (iPhones and iPads) and on Android devices (mobile phones and tablets). They can be downloaded for free from the Apple App Store and from the Google Play Store. Simply click the relevant logo on the SystmOnline Login page.

Note: SystmOnline is only available from within the UK. You cannot access SystmOnline from abroad.

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Logging in to SystmOnline

If you are trying to use the SystmOnline service, you will be in one of the following situations:

1. You have a SystmOnline username and password

Enter your username and password on the SystmOnline login page and click Login.

If you have been granted online access to more than one organisation and/or more than one person then you will see the Choose Patient screen. Under the organisation you want to use click on the name of the person to choose that account. This might happen if you have a relative who is not confident using a computer and has granted access to you so that you can use SystmOnline on their behalf.

You will then see the SystmOnline Home page, which shows your details and your healthcare organisation’s contact details at the top.

Note: The online services available here will depend on the services your healthcare organisation has decided to offer; therefore, not all of those listed in this guide may be available to you.

You can navigate to all the online services from the Home page. To return to it, click Home in the blue menu bar.

2. You have an account ID, passphrase and organisation code

Go to the SystmOnline login page and click Sign up. (You will only be able to sign up if your GP practice holds a verified email address for you)

You will then see the Sign up page, fill in all of the fields and click Sign up.

You will be sent emails containing your SystmOnline username and a temporary password.

3. You have no login information

You will need to go to your registered healthcare organisation to request a SystmOnline username and password. Consider calling the service in advance to find out what kind of identification you will need to take with you, e.g. a driving licence.

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Registration using SystmOnline

Some healthcare services have their own websites with links to the SystmOnline Registration Page.

If this page is available, you can register with that organisation (if you are not already one of their patients) and register for online services.

Register as a new patient

If you wish to register as a new patient at the healthcare organisation you should click on the Register with link.

This option will not register you for Online Services; it will take you to a registration form.

1. Click on the Register with ‘Organisation’ button.

2. Fill in all of the required fields and click Submit.

3. A Self Registration Successful page will be shown if your registration has been submitted to the service successfully. If you do not receive confirmation of your registration in a few days, please contact the service.

Request access to online services

1. Click on the Request Access to Online Services at ‘Organisation’

2. Fill in all of the required fields and click Submit.

3. To complete your registration you must go to the organisation with valid proof of identity e.g. passport, driving license etc.

Note: This section of the page will only be available if your organisation has chosen to have this page set up.

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Third party linked accounts

Note: SystmOnline does not currently link with any third parties.

To reset third party linked accounts or re-issue a passphrase you will need your Account ID and Organisation Code. When logged into SystmOnline you can find these in Online Account Management under Account Information.

This is the information you will use to log on to HSCIC approved third party patient facing services applications. Your passphrase (third party passphrase), is another type of password and is not displayed for security reasons. If you have forgotten your passphrase, you can either contact your healthcare provider directly or use the Re-Issue Third Party Passphrase on the Login page.

Reset Third Party Linked Accounts

Resetting your linked accounts will remove your access to SystmOnline and any other third party online services you currently have access to. If you choose to reset your accounts, you will be prevented from logging on to SystmOnline or any other third party patient facing applications and will not be able to manage your care online.

After resetting your online account, if you decide you need access to online services you will need to re-register at your healthcare organisation.

Re-Issue Third Party Passphrase

If you have forgotten your passphrase, you can use the Re-Issue Third Party Passphrase on the Login page.

You will need to enter the required Account Information, including the organisation code of the healthcare service you wish to use online services for (they can give you this information). Once you have entered this information and pressed “Re-issue passphrase” your new passphrase will be emailed to your verified email address.

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Changing/Resetting Your Password

You will initially be given a random password and when you log on for the first time, you will be prompted to change it to something more memorable. Passwords must be eight or more characters long and must contain at least one letter (a-z), at least one numeric character (0-9) and one non-alphanumeric character, e.g. '!' or '?'.

If you need to change your password at any other time:

  1. Click the Online Account Management link on the Home page.
  2. Click the Change Password link on the Online Account Management page.
  3. Type in the current password.
  4. Type in the new password.
  5. Re-type the new password.
  6. Click Submit. You are advised to memorise the new password. Do not write it down or disclose it to anyone else.
  7. Click Back to return to the Online Account Management page or Home on the blue menu bar to return to the home page.

If you forget your password, you can reset it yourself, provided your healthcare service has an email address for you that has been verified as being correct (this means the healthcare service has sent an email to you in the past and you have replied to it).

To reset a forgotten password yourself:

  1. Click the I've forgotten my password link on the Login page.
  2. Type in your username and email address on the Reset Password page.
  3. Click Reset Password. You will receive an email containing a new password.
  4. Use the new password to log in to SystmOnline. You will be prompted to change the password to one of your own choice as soon as you log in. The password must be eight or more characters long and must contain at least one letter (a-z), at least one numeric character (0-9) and one non-alphanumeric character, e.g. '!' or '?'.

If you do not have an email address that has been verified, you will need to visit your healthcare service in person and ask for your password to be reset. When you log in with the replacement password, you will be prompted to change it to a password of your own choice.

If you enter your password incorrectly five times you will be unable to log on to SystmOnline and your account will be suspended. On SystmOnline you will get an error message stating that your username or password is incorrect. You will need to contact your healthcare service to re-enable your online account.

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Logging Out of SystmOnline

To log out:

  1. Click the Logout link on the Home page or Logout on the blue menu bar.
  2. Close your Internet browser.

Note: The website will automatically log out after a period of inactivity. Type in your username and password to log in again.

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Switching Organisations/Patients

If you have been granted online access to more than one organisation and/or more than one person you can switch accounts without logging out.

  1. Click the Choose Patient link on the Home page.
  2. This takes you to the Choose Patient screen; select which account you would like to open by clicking on the patients name under the organisation you want to access.
  3. You will then see the SystmOnline Home page, which shows the selected patients details and chosen organisation contact details at the top.

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Managing Appointments with SystmOnline

By clicking on the Appointments link on the home page you will be able book and cancel appointments and view past/future appointments. You will be able to see up to five past appointments and all future appointments.

Your healthcare service may limit the number of future appointments that you can have at any one time. If you have already reached this limit and would like to book another appointment, you should contact your healthcare service by telephone or in person.

Booking an Appointment

Providing you have not already reached your service's limit for the number of future appointments, you can book an appointment using this service.

  1. Book Appointment link on the Appointments page or click Book Appointment on the blue menu bar.
  3. Show.
  4. View at the end of the row for the session you require.
  5. Start Time and End Time.
  6. Book at the end of the row for the appointment you require.
  7. Reason field, e.g. "Blood Pressure check". This will help practice staff to prepare for your appointment. Bear in mind, however, that any information you provide may be visible to all practice staff and not just to the clinician you are going to see.
  8. Cancel.
  9. Book Appointment. The appointment is confirmed.
  10. Print. Otherwise, click Back or any other menu option.

Note: If you wish to print the details of an appointment later this can be done in Future Appointments.

Cancelling an Appointment

To cancel an appointment:

  1. Click the Future Appointments link on the Appointments page, or click Future Appointments on the main menu bar.
  2. Click the Cancel Appointment button relating to the appropriate appointment.
  3. Check the appointment details and click Cancel this appointment.
  4. To continue without cancelling the appointment, click Back or any other menu option; otherwise, click Close.

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Viewing Past/Future Appointments

  1. Click the Past Appointments/ Future Appointments link on the Appointments page, or for future appointment only click Future Appointments on the blue menu bar.
  2. This page shows the date, day, start and end time of past appointments as well as the location, clinician.
  3. Under Print Details click Details to see the full address and any special instructions, e.g. 'Please remember to bring your medication.'
  4. To print these details, click Print.
  5. To exit this screen click Back or any other menu option.

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Managing Prescriptions with SystmOnline

By clicking on the Medication link on the home page you will be able to request prescriptions; view outstanding prescriptions and change your nominated Pharmacy (this option will only be available for patients registered at GP practices offering Electronic Prescribing).

Requesting Medication with SystmOnline

For certain drugs, you can request a new prescription.

Click the Medication link. From here you can select which medication you require from existing medication or make a custom request.

Note: You cannot request existing medication and make a custom request in the same request.

Existing medication which is available for you to request is split into Recent Medication and Regular Medication. Recent Medication is any one off medical item that you have been prescribed recently by your healthcare organisation. Your healthcare organisation can set how many months of previous recent medication can be viewed. Regular Medication is any repeat medicine that you have been prescribed.

To request existing medication.

  1. Click the request existing medication radio button.
  2. Select the drug by clicking on the box in the left-hand column.
  3. Click Request Medication.
  4. If you need to include further information with your request for a specific drug type the details into the Notes box next to that specific drug. When providing this information, you should bear in mind that it may be visible to all practice staff.
  5. If you need to include further information with your request type the details into the Medication Request Notes field. When providing this information, you should bear in mind that it may be visible to all practice staff.
  6. Click Request Medication. The Medication Order Summary is displayed, stating that a request has been sent to the practice to re-prescribe the item(s), and that the prescription will be ready for collection after a period of days specified by the healthcare organisation.
  7. Click Print Confirmation to print out confirmation of this request.
  8. Click Return to Medication to return to the Medication page where the status of the drug will show that it has been requested.

Note: Medical items will only be available if your healthcare organisation have made these available.

To make a custom request

  1. Click the make a custom request radio button.
  2. Type your request in the Medication Request Notes field.
  3. Click Request Medication. The Medication Order Summary is displayed, stating that a request has been sent to the practice to re-prescribe the item(s), and that the prescription will be ready for collection after a period of days specified by the healthcare organisation.
  4. Click Print Confirmation to print out confirmation of this request.
  5. Click Return to Medication to return to the Medication page where the status of the drug will show that it has been requested.

Note: Please check with the practice regarding their policy on contacting online users.

Viewing and amending outstanding prescriptions

  1. Click the Outstanding Prescription Requests link from the Medication page.
  2. This page shows the date the request was made, the drug requested, any notes added to the prescription and actions.
  3. To amend a prescription click the Amend button in the right-hand column of the prescription you want to amend.
  4. The Amend Prescription Request is displayed. Here you can add notes specific for that drug, in the Notes box next to that drug. Add notes for the whole prescription in the long text box underneath the drug name. Cancel the request by selecting the tick box in the Cancel column.
  5. Once you have made your amendments click Submit. If you do not want to amend the request click Back.
  6. Once submitting you will see a confirmation message that the prescription request was successfully amended.
  7. To exit this screen click Back or any other menu option.

Changing Your Pharmacy

To change the pharmacy you collect your prescriptions from:

  1. Click the Change Pharmacy link on the Medication page.
  2. Click Choose beside the pharmacy you want to use.

Note: You will only be able to specify a pharmacy here if you are logging on to your SystmOnline account for your healthcare organisation and your registered healthcare organisation sends your prescriptions to a pharmacy electronically.

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Accessing your Patient Record View

By clicking the Patient Record link on the Home page you will be able to access your patient records, view test results and record audit.

Viewing your Patient Record

If you have been granted access to your full clinical record or your detail coded record view you can find this by clicking the Patient Record link on the Patient Record page.

If you have not already requested access, you can request access to this service by clicking Manage Online Services from the Online Account Management page. Click the Patient Record link on the Patient Record page after a week or so to see whether access has been granted. If it has not, either wait a few days longer or contact your practice to enquire.

When your request has been granted, you can use the search options on the Patient Record page to specify the time period you want to view or to limit your search to a particular person or entry type. You can also search for a particular phrase using the text search

All information is displayed in date order with the most recent information showing first. To browse through the pages, click Next, Previous or a particular page number.

Click Back to return to the Patient Record page.

Note: The Patient Record option will only be available if your healthcare organisation offers this service.

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Viewing a summary of your Patient Record

To view key details from your Electronic Health Record, click the Summary Patient Record link on the Home page.

The summary will include details of the following which have been recorded by the service where you have your online account:

  1. allergies
  2. drug sensitivities
  3. acute medication (issued in the last 12 months)
  4. repeat medication (current and past)

Click Back to return to the Patient Record page.

Note: The Summary Patient Record option will only be available if your healthcare organisation offers this service.

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Viewing Your Childhood Vaccinations

To view the vaccinations your patient record shows you as having had in childhood, click the Childhood Vaccinations link on the Patient Record page.

Click Back to return to the Patient Record page.

Note: The list of vaccinations shown may be incomplete if the vaccination data was recorded on a different clinical system from the one used by your healthcare organisation.

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Viewing a Pathology/Radiology Test Result

To view a pathology or radiology result via SystmOnline:

  1. Click the View Test Results link on the Patient Record page.
  2. Use the search options at the top of the page to specify the time period you want to view.
  3. Click Go.
  4. Click View next to a particular result for further details.
  5. Click Back to return to the Test Results page.
  6. Click Back on the Test Results page to return to the Patient Record page.

If your healthcare service uses the messaging service in SystmOnline, a message will be sent to your SystmOnline account to inform you when new pathology/radiology results are ready for you to view.

Note: Pathology/radiology test results will only be visible if your healthcare service offers this service.

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Viewing a Patient Record Audit

To view a list of people who have accessed your electronic patient record:

  1. Click the Record Audit link on the Patient Record page.
  2. Use the search options at the top of the page to specify the time period you want to view or to limit your search to a particular person.
  3. Click Go.

Bear in mind that office and reception staff will need to view your patient record for administrative reasons, such as booking appointments and filing letters.

Note: This option will only be available if your GP practice offers this service.

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Viewing and Sending Messages

Provided your GP practice offers this service, it is possible to use SystmOnline to communicate with your registered GP practice regarding non-urgent issues. Note: If you require a quick response, you should ring your practice or visit your practice in person.

Click the Messages link on the Home page to view all messages sent and received. Use the search options at the top of the page to specify the time period you want to view or to limit your search to a particular sender/recipient.

To view a message:

  1. Click on View next to the specific message you want to read. The message or full conversation will be displayed within the table. Conversations will show the earliest message at the bottom and most recent message at the top.
  2. If a message has an attached file, click View in the Attachment column to look at the file.
  3. To find out if the person you sent the message to has read it, check the Read column in the list of messages.
  4. To reply to that message or conversation select New Message on this screen.
  5. Click Back to return to the Messages page.

If your healthcare service operates a service allowing you to view pathology/radiology test results in SystmOnline, a message will be sent to your SystmOnline account to inform you when new pathology/radiology results are ready for you to view.

You can send messages to the healthcare service or to a particular person and they can send messages back to you. If your healthcare service holds a mobile number or email address for you that they know is correct, they may send you a text message or email to let you know when a message is waiting for you on the SystmOnline Messages page.

To send a message:

  1. Click the Messages link on the Home page.
  2. Click New Message.
  3. Select the practice or a particular person from the Send to drop-down list.
  4. Type your message in the empty field.
  5. Click Browse if you want to attach a file to your message, then navigate to and select the file. Note: You can attach the following file types: jpeg, doc, docx, rtf, png, and pdf.
  6. Click Send. The screen will show if the message was sent successfully.
  7. Click Back. Your message is listed on the Messages page.

To find out if the person you sent the message to has read it, check the Read column in the list of messages. It will show 'Yes' if the message has been read.

To remove a message from the list, click Archive next to it and follow the on-screen instructions. The message will disappear from the list but you can see it again if you click Show Archived Conversations. Archiving a message that has not been read yet will not stop it from being received by your practice.

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Completing a Questionnaire

To complete a questionnaire:

  1. Click the Questionnaires link on the Home page, or the Questionnaires button on the main menu bar.
  2. Click Answer beside the questionnaire you want to complete.
  3. Answer the questions.
  4. To print out a copy of the completed questionnaire, click Print.
  5. To cancel the questionnaire and return to the Questionnaire page click Cancel.
  6. Click Submit. A message is displayed to confirm that the answers have been sent to your practice.

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Online Account Management

To manage your online account, follow the Online Account Management link on the Home page.

Changing Your Contact Details

To change your address, phone number(s) or email address:

  1. Click the Change Contact Details link on the Online Account Management page.
  2. Type in your new details, then click Submit new contact details. A message is displayed, showing that your details were sent successfully.

Note: If you are happy for your healthcare service to send text messages to your mobile phone, e.g. appointment reminders, select Allow SMS notifications and ensure that you have provided your mobile number.

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Linking Accounts

To link a new account:

  1. Click the Link Account link on the Online Account Management page.
  2. Fill in all of the information, you’ll need your account ID, account linkage passphrase and organisation code from the service where you are registered.
  3. Click Link.

If you have not registered or do not have this information, please contact your healthcare service.

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Managing Online Services

To manage what services you have access to on SystmOnline:

  1. Click the Manage Online Services link on the Online Account Management page.
  2. On the Manage Online Services page you can see the status of each of the services that your account has.
  3. Use the Remove button to stop access to any service listed.
  4. Use the Add button to request access to a service, someone at your practice will have to approve this request before access in your account will be granted.
  5. You can request access to a service that your practice currently does not offer, e.g. the status is “Not offered”, by clicking the Request button. Access will be automatically granted to you when the practice makes it available.

Messaging is currently managed by healthcare services only.

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Managing Account Access

To remove access to your SystmOnline and any other third party online services you can reset your account using the Managing Account Access link from the Online Account Management page.

Pressing the Reset button will log you out of your account and stop your access to SystmOnline.

To reactivate your online account you will need to contact your healthcare service.

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Account Information

This page displays your online account information. It will always display the account information for you, even if you have logged on to SystmOnline on behalf of a friend, relative or someone you care for.

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Managing Account Users

On the Manage Account Users page, you can view who has access to the selected patient’s online account and what online services for that patient they have access to.

To remove someone’s access to the selected patient’s account:

  1. Click the Remove button for the account whose access you want to stop.
  2. Ensure this is the correct account you want to stop access for.
  3. Click Confirm if you want to stop this accounts access, you’ll see confirmation that their online access has been removed.
  4. Click Cancel to return to the Manage Account Users page.

Note: Anyone with access to the patients account is able to manage this screen.

From the Manage Account Users page you can view if anyone with access to the patients account uses third party software to access their online account. This is done by clicking the View button under Account Linkages.

Any person who previously had access to the account is listed on the Manage Account Users page.

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Online Usage Audit

This page allows you to see all the actions on your SystmOnline account. Use the search options at the top of the page to specify the time period you want to view, who accessed the account and what actions were performed.

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SystmOnline Usage and Privacy Policies

Please use this service responsibly. In the case of any abuse of the service, your healthcare organisation can prevent you from accessing the service by stopping your username and password from working.

Examples of irresponsible use of the system may include, but are not limited to:

We are committed to protecting your privacy online. The personal information you enter on this website is strictly controlled. Please read the SystmOnline End User Licence Agreement and Privacy Policy here.

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