Health Care Records

Everyone who uses the NHS will have health care records made by the health professionals they see about their care and treatment. Health records usually contain information about illnesses you have had, consultations with your GP, practice nurse or hospital doctor, drugs which have been prescribed for you and any operations or other treatments you have had.

Some of your health records will be in paper form but, increasingly, in electronic form.   The Data Protection Act 1998 gives you, the patient, the right to see what has been written in your health care records.   You may want to view your records to ensure that a particular aspect of your treatment has been fully understood.   Whatever the reason, you are entitled to view your records, however long ago they were written and whether they are in paper or electronic form.

In order to see what is written in your health care records, you need to contact the organisations that hold your records. In the case of your GP, this will be your GP Practice. If you have been an outpatient or received treatment at a hospital, this will be the hospital. If you are a patient of Dorothy House, there is a leaflet available called ‘Access to your health records’ which you can download or request by writing to the Chief Executive at Dorothy House or ringing her on 01225 722988. Most organisations will charge a small fee to cover printing costs and postage but this may be waived in certain circumstances.   Each organisation will provide access only to records which have originated within its own service.

Contacts

Review date: June 2012