How to obtain access to your medical records

[Deanne Jenkyns]

How to obtain access to your medical records

Since 1991 patients have had the statutory right to see their medical records but this is not always as easy as it should be. This guide gives practical advice as to what you should do to obtain access to your records, including proforma letters you can use, and what to do if you experience difficulties.

Click here to open a copy of the booklet

www.patients-association.org.uk/onlinewebmanager/downloads/Medicalrecords.pdf

[phillipa]

I found another way and the hospital hate it. Under the Data Protection Act 1988, you write a Subject Access Request , enclose a £10.00 and they must supply you with all your notes, films, reports, referrral letters and unexpurgated notes within forty days. if they don't reply you report the relvant NHS authority to the Information Commissioner. Under the SAR they cannot charge you for photocopying

This is how we got the information required to bring Hinchingbrooke to heel the first time around and were able to get the CD recordings of all the MRI's scans and X-rays. Much easier they even gave us a copy of the programme to load on to a computer. My computer is set up to read these things now and the detail is fanatasic.


We made the £10.00 postal note out to the local NHS Trust and not the Paymaster. We got everything within five working days.

Sometimes there is an easier way and I found using the DPA was a far more effective tool.