You will appreciate that health data relating to any individual is highly confidential and the Practice must ensure that it releases such data only to the person to whom it relates, or to a person authorised to act on his or her behalf. If you require to see any health data, please complete this online Request Form as fully and accurately as possible to enable us to locate the exact information you require.
The General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) gives you the statutory right of access to any information, manual (paper) or computerised. You may wish to authorise someone else to make your application on your behalf and if you have parental responsibilities you may make an application to see your child’s notes, if they are under the age of twelve years.
You do not have to give a reason for applying for access to your General Practice records. If you do not need access to your entire records, it would be helpful if you would inform us of the periods and area of your health records that you require, along with details which you feel may have relevance (e.g. clinic type, location, dates).
Timescale
The Practice will deal with your request as quickly as possible. If you request copies of all or part of your medical record, these will be ready within the allocated timescales specified by the Regulations (which is currently 28 days from receipt of your accurately completed form and confirmation of consent), and we will telephone you when they are available for you to come to the Practice to collect them. Under certain circumstances, this period can be extended to 3 months but we will keep you informed of the progress of your request during this extended period.
Fees
We will not make a charge for the first request for access to your medical records. We may, however, charge for subsequent requests or if we deem that the volume of information requested is excessive. You have the right to simply view your records (i.e. not receive a copy in a permanent form); information on how to arrange this is detailed below.
Type of request
If you request to see the original records, you will be invited to make an appointment at a mutually convenient time to view them. If you request copies, these will be ready within the allocated timescales specified by the Regulations, and we will telephone you when they are available for you to come to the Practice to collect them.
Proof of identity
Two forms of identity must be provided (one of which must be photographic). This is to ensure information is not released to unauthorised individuals. The table below outlines the proof of identity we can accept.
| TYPE OF APPLICATION | IDENTIFICATION REQUIRED |
| Patient applying for their own Can be waived if the applicant is known to the Staff Member accepting the request | One which must be photographic i.e. passport. One containing individuals name and address |
| Third Party Applying. Consent of Patient will be required BEFORE the request will be processed | One containing Third Party name and address One must be Photographic ID of Third Party |
| Applying on behalf of a child We will ALWAYS obtain consent for release of records from a child age 12+ to <16 if a third party is making request | One which must be Child’s birth certificate Photographic ID of person with parental rights |
If you are completing this application on behalf of another person, the Practice will require their authorisation before we can release the data to you. The person whose information is being requested should sign the relevant section within the online form. If the patient is a child (i.e. under 16 years of age) the application may be made by someone with parental responsibilities – in most cases this means a parent or guardian. If the child is capable of understanding the nature of the application, his or her consent should be obtained or, alternatively, the child may submit an application on their own behalf. Children will, generally, be presumed to understand the nature of the application if aged between 13 and 16 however, all cases will be considered individually.
Query regarding medical terminology
Medical records often contain abbreviations – this is often to help staff document things in the most time efficient way as there is no additional time after an appointment to write in the record – the length of your apointment includes time for the clinician to write in your record. Here is a link to common abbreviations you might find in your record.
As a health organisation, we make every effort to keep your records accurate. However, there are occasions where information may need to be amended.
If you think there is information in your health record which is factually inaccurate, you can request the information to be corrected. There are limited reasons for which we can remove data from your record.
Here are some examples where the information can be amended:
- Your address is wrong
- Your date of birth is wrong
- Your name is either spelled wrong or we have you registered under an old name.
Sometimes you may disagree with the information recorded, but the information is factually correct. For example, you may disagree with a diagnosis you received in the past.
Sometimes where information is agreed by all parties to be factually incorrect, it may be necessary for us to retain this information in your record. For example, if the information was taken into consideration when making decisions about your subsequent care, this information would need to remain to explain treatment decisions or audit the quality of care you received. If this is the case, you can request an entry to be made in your record that you disagree with the content and what you think it should say. Please use the contact form located on our home page via the ‘Contact & Location’ tab to submit your request ensuring your provide the date of the entry/entries and the exact text you disagree with.