How do I access my medical records
Your medical records do not belong to you but to the Secretary of State for Health. In reality responsibility for your records is passed down to the various health bodies which produce and store your records.
The Data Protection Act allows you to ask to see any records containing information about you, this includes your medical records. If you want to see your records you will need to contact the GP practice or Hospital Trust responsible for them who will usually have a special form to be filled in. You may need to write to them to request they send you a form.
You do not need to say why you want to see your records; however, you may have to tell them if you plan to take legal action based on their contents. Once you have sent this form to the GP Practice Manager or hospital Medical Records Manager they will either arrange for you to go and see your records or send you a copy. However, it can sometimes take several months for a copy to be sent to you.
If you go to see your records it is often a good idea to ask a doctor, nurse or other medical professional to accompany you as records often contain a lot of medical terms and jargon and, if handwritten, can also be difficult to read. The doctor or nurse can then translate the records for you and interpret any test results, which are often very difficult to understand if you do not know what a good or normal result would be.
If you would like help to access or view your records you can ask the local Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) to help you. They are situated in most hospitals and there will be no charge for their help
You can be refused access to your medical records if a doctor thinks seeing your records will adversely affect your mental health or upset you too much. If you would still like to see you records you will need to demonstrate you have put in place the necessary support systems.
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