My Health Record Australia For Seniors: Access, Share, Control (2026)

Every Australian has had a My Health Record automatically created for them since 2019 (unless they opted out). If you're 60+ and you've been thinking "I should probably have a look at mine one of these days" — yes, you should. A quick check-in lets you verify your medications are correct, see your hospital discharge summaries, download your immunisation history, and fix things before they cause problems at your next appointment.

This is a full walkthrough using the myGov → Services Australia → My Health Record path as of April 2026.

This article is informational and not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before making health decisions.

What's actually in My Health Record

If you've never opened it, here's roughly what you'll find:

Shared health summary — a single-page clinical overview written by your GP (medications, allergies, chronic conditions).
Hospital discharge summaries — a letter from the hospital after any admission.
Medicare information — your PBS medication history and MBS (Medicare Benefits Schedule) visits.
Pathology and imaging reports — test results, X-rays, CT/MRI reports from participating providers.
Immunisation history — every vaccine on your AIR record (including COVID-19, flu, shingles, pneumococcal, childhood vaccines still stored).
Advance care documents — if you've uploaded a power of attorney or advance care directive, it's here.
Personal health notes — things you've added yourself (allergy reactions, how a medication made you feel, dates of falls).

Not everything gets uploaded automatically. Your GP may or may not upload summaries. Some private pathology labs don't upload results. That's a known limitation.

Open a browser (Safari, Chrome, Edge — any current browser works) and go to my.gov.au.

Tap Sign in (top right). You'll need:

Your myGov username or email.
Your password.
Access to whatever second-factor you've set up (usually a code sent by SMS to your mobile, or the myGov Code Generator app).

If you've forgotten your myGov password, use the Forgot password? link. It will send a reset link to the email address registered on your account. If you've also forgotten your username, you can reach myGov help on 132 307 (Mon–Fri, 7am–10pm).

Haven't set up myGov? You'll need to do this first. Go to my.gov.au, tap Create account, verify your email, set a strong password, and link your identity using two of: Medicare card, ATO record, Centrelink record, bank details.

Step 2 — Link My Health Record to myGov

Once signed in, look for the list of linked services on your myGov home screen. If My Health Record isn't listed, tap Services → Link your first service → choose My Health Record → follow the prompts.

You'll be asked to verify identity using two pieces of information (Medicare number plus IHI, for example, or Medicare plus a recent prescription). This is Services Australia's way of making absolutely sure the right record links to the right person.

Once linked, My Health Record appears on your myGov home screen. Tap it to enter.

Step 3 — Your first look at your record

You'll land on a dashboard. The main tabs as of April 2026:

Record overview — a summary dashboard.
Documents — every document uploaded by your providers, searchable and sorted by date.
Medicare overview — prescriptions and services.
Immunisation history — your AIR record.
Personal notes — notes you've added yourself.
Access history — every time someone (you, a doctor, a pharmacist) has viewed your record.
Record access and privacy — settings.

Spend a few minutes on each tab. Your first job is to scan for obvious errors: wrong medications listed, allergies missing, a duplicated entry. These can be fixed — but you need to know they're there.

Step 4 — Add your personal notes

Personal notes are things you write in — they're visible to your healthcare providers when they view your record and can be very useful.

Good things to add:

How you reacted to medications that didn't suit you (e.g. "codeine makes me nauseous," "ACE inhibitors gave me a persistent cough").
Non-listed allergies or intolerances — gluten sensitivity, a topical cream that caused a rash.
Important dates — the year you had your hip replacement, when you had your cataract surgery.
Your preferred hospital, specialist, and pharmacy.
Emergency contacts and next-of-kin with phone numbers (handy if you're admitted to hospital unconscious).

To add one: tap Personal notes → Add a new note → give it a title and write the note → save.

Step 5 — Control who sees what

This is the most important section and most seniors never look at it. Tap Record access and privacy.

You have five main controls:

1. General access

By default, any Australian healthcare provider involved in your care can view your full record in an emergency. If you want to restrict this, you can set:

Limited access — you choose which specific documents are visible.
Access code — any provider needs a code from you before they can view your record.
Emergency access only — providers can only view in a declared emergency.

Tightening access gives you privacy but may slow down care (e.g., a locum GP at a holiday clinic won't see your medication list). There's a trade-off.

2. Restricted documents

You can hide individual documents from all providers (for example, a mental health admission you'd rather not have automatically visible). Tap a document → Remove access → Yes, remove from general view.

3. Personal Identification Number (PIN)

You can set a PIN required for anyone — including yourself — to view your record. Useful if you share devices.

4. Nominated representative

You can nominate someone (an adult child, spouse, carer) to help you manage your record. They get their own login and can view on your behalf. This is different from an authorised representative — a nominated representative doesn't replace your own access.

5. Access history alerts

Turn on SMS or email alerts so you get a message every time someone views your record. Peace of mind.

The simplest way: at your next appointment, say "I've got a My Health Record — please have a look." Most GP clinic systems (Best Practice, Medical Director, and others) can open it directly from inside the clinical software once the doctor has your Medicare number.

For travel or seeing a new specialist, you can also:

Open a document in My Health Record → Download as PDF → email it, print it, or show it on screen.
Or, just note the document title and date; any provider with your Medicare number and the right consent can pull it up themselves.

Step 7 — Using the Express Plus Medicare app (optional)

If you prefer a phone app rather than a browser, the Express Plus Medicare app (Services Australia) offers a streamlined view of your My Health Record. Download it from the App Store or Google Play, sign in with your myGov details, and tap My Health Record from the home screen.

It's lighter than the full myGov website view — you won't see every privacy control — but for reading documents and showing a doctor, it's faster.

Common problems and fixes

"I don't remember setting up a My Health Record." You likely didn't — one was created for you automatically in 2019 unless you opted out. It's still yours.

"It says my record is empty." Records only populate when providers upload to them. Your GP may not be a heavy uploader. Ask at your next visit: "Can you upload a shared health summary to my My Health Record?"

"I want to opt out entirely." You can cancel your record at any time — in myGov → My Health Record → Advanced settings → Cancel my record. This is permanent (you can't recover the old record), but you can create a fresh one later.

"I'm helping my parent — can I have their login?" Don't. Instead, have them nominate you as a nominated representative. You'll get your own login that shows their record. This keeps a clear audit trail.

Scam and security warnings

My Health Record is a prime target for scammers. Here's what's real and what isn't:

Real: Services Australia and myGov never text or email you asking to click a link to "verify" or "update" your record. Delete these.
Real: You can check access history — log in, look at Access history, and confirm only your providers have looked.
Real: Reports to Services Australia on 1800 723 471 (My Health Record line, Mon–Fri).
Never real: A phone call demanding your Medicare number "to keep your My Health Record active."

For a deeper look at healthcare scams aimed at seniors, see Medicare scams — how to protect yourself. Although it's US-focused, many of the same patterns apply in Australia.

NHS App for over-60s guide (UK readers).
Medicare telehealth 2026 (US readers).
Telehealth guide for seniors.
Emergency SOS setup for iPhone and Android.
Medicare scams — how to protect yourself.

Sources

Services Australia, My Health Record, servicesaustralia.gov.au, accessed April 2026.
Australian Digital Health Agency, My Health Record user guide, 2026.
Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), 2026 update notes relevant to prescription records.