If you are worried about the medical care you or a loved one received, one of the first things you may want to do is get a copy of the medical records.
Medical records can help you understand what happened during treatment. They are often the starting point if you are considering making a medical negligence claim, making a complaint or simply wanting answers about your care.
Many people are surprised to learn that requesting their medical records is usually free and is often much simpler than they expected.
This guide explains who can request medical records, how to request them, what you are likely to receive and what to do if something appears to be missing.
What is in your medical records?
Medical records are the information that doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals keep about your care and treatment.
Depending on where you were treated, they may include:
- GP records
- Hospital records
- Outpatient clinic letters
- Blood test and laboratory results
- X-rays, CT scans and MRI scans
- Operation notes
- Nursing records
- Prescription records
- Maternity records
- Mental health records
- Ambulance records
- Referral letters and discharge summaries
The records you receive will depend on where you were treated and the care you received.
Why might I want a copy of my medical records?
People request copies of their medical records for many reasons.
You may want to:
- understand what happened during your treatment
- check information recorded about your care
- prepare for a meeting with your doctor
- make a complaint
- obtain a second medical opinion
- support an insurance claim
- investigate whether you may have a medical negligence claim
Whatever your reason, you do not usually have to explain why you want your records.
Who can request medical records?
A person can usually request:
- their own medical records
- their child’s medical records, if they have parental responsibility and it is appropriate to do so
- another adult’s medical records, if they have given written authority
- the medical records of someone who has died, if they are entitled to access them under the Access to Health Records Act 1990
If you are unsure whether you are entitled to request someone’s records, the organisation holding them should be able to explain what information they need from you.
What is a Subject Access Request?
When you ask for a copy of your medical records, you are usually making what is known as a Subject Access Request, often shortened to SAR.
A Subject Access Request is simply the legal name for asking an organisation to provide you with the personal information it holds about you.
Most NHS organisations and private healthcare providers have an online Subject Access Request form, although you can often make your request by email or letter instead.
What gives me the right to see my medical records?
In England and Wales, your right to access your own medical records is protected by UK data protection law, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
These laws allow people to request copies of the personal information organisations hold about them, including medical records.
If the person has died, different legal rules usually apply. Access is generally governed by the Access to Health Records Act 1990.
You should contact the organisation that holds your records.
For example:
Records you need | Who to contact |
GP records | Your GP surgery |
Hospital records | The hospital’s Medical Records/ Access to records Department or Subject Access Request Team |
Community healthcare records | The organisation providing the service |
Mental health records | The relevant NHS Trust |
Private healthcare records | The private hospital or clinic |
Many NHS organisations have an online Subject Access Request (SAR) form on their website.
If they do not, you can usually make your request by email or letter.
To help the organisation locate your records, include:
- your full name
- any previous names
- your date of birth
- your NHS number, if you know it
- your current address
- details of the treatment or dates you are requesting, if known
- proof of identity if requested
If you only need records relating to a particular admission, operation or period of treatment, say so in your request.
Medical records contain highly confidential personal information. Before releasing your records, healthcare providers need to make sure they are sending them to the correct person.
They may ask for proof of identity, such as a passport or driving licence, together with proof of your address.
Although this can feel frustrating, it helps protect your confidential information.
In most cases, requesting copies of your medical records is free.
Healthcare providers cannot usually charge for providing a copy of your records. A fee may only be charged in limited circumstances, such as where requests are repetitive or clearly excessive.
Healthcare providers should usually respond within one month.
If your request is particularly large or complex, they may extend this by up to a further two months. If they do, they should explain why.
Some organisations provide records much sooner.
How will my medical records be sent?
Many healthcare providers now supply records electronically rather than sending large paper files.
Depending on the organisation, you may receive:
- PDF copies by secure email
- access to a secure online portal where you can download your records
- records on an encrypted USB drive, although this is becoming less common
- paper copies, particularly where older records have not been digitised
Medical records vary greatly in size. Some consist of only a few pages, while others run to thousands.
The records may also be organised in different ways depending on the healthcare provider. Some are grouped by hospital department or specialty, some by document type and others by date. It is common to find duplicate documents, records that overlap and documents that are not in chronological order.
If you have requested copies of X-rays, CT scans, MRI scans or other imaging, these may be supplied separately from the written records.
If you have instructed a solicitor, you can usually ask for the records to be sent directly to them.
Medical Record FAQs
Usually, yes.
However, you may notice that some words, sentences or pages have been removed. This is known as redaction.
Redaction simply means that information has been hidden or removed before the records are provided.
This is allowed in limited circumstances. For example:
- the information relates to another identifiable person (sometimes called a third party)
- disclosure could seriously harm your physical or mental health, or someone else’s
- another legal exemption applies
If information has been redacted, the healthcare provider should normally explain why.
If you believe information has been removed incorrectly, you can ask the organisation to review its decision.
If you believe information has been removed incorrectly, you can ask the organisation to review its decision.
Don’t worry if your records seem difficult to understand
Medical records are written by healthcare professionals for healthcare professionals. They often contain abbreviations, medical terminology, handwritten notes and technical language. This is completely normal.
If you are concerned about your treatment, a specialist medical negligence solicitor can look through them for you, explain what the records show and identify whether any additional records may be needed.
It is quite common for people to think that records are missing when, in fact, they are held by different departments or organisations.
Although you may have received treatment from what appears to be the same hospital, different services sometimes keep separate records or use different computer systems.
For example, records for your:
- physiotherapy appointments
- radiology or imaging
- maternity care
- emergency department attendance
- outpatient clinics
- community services
- mental health services
may be stored separately from your main hospital records.
Example
You may have surgery at one hospital, attend physiotherapy at another site within the same NHS Trust and have follow up appointments in a specialist clinic. Although it feels like one episode of care, the records may come from different departments using different systems.
If you ask for all of your records, the organisation should take reasonable steps to identify everything it holds about you. However, records can occasionally be missed, particularly where they are held on different systems or by different departments.
If you think something is missing, ask whether additional departments or systems should be searched.
Many people expect to receive a neat timeline of events but in reality, medical records are rarely organised that way.
They may be grouped by department, document type or computer system. It is also common to receive duplicate documents or records that overlap.
This does not necessarily mean that anything is wrong with the records.
The rules are slightly different after someone has died.
Medical records are no longer covered by UK data protection law. Instead, access is usually governed by the **Access to Health Records Act 1990**.
You may be able to request copies of a deceased person’s medical records if you are:
- the executor or administrator of their estate (their personal representative), or
- someone who has, or may have, a legal claim arising from their death, including a potential medical negligence claim.
You should contact the organisation that holds the records, such as the GP surgery, hospital or NHS Trust.
You will normally be asked to provide:
- the person’s full name and date of birth
- the date of death, if known
- your relationship to them
- evidence that you are entitled to request the records
- proof of your identity
Some healthcare providers may ask for a copy of the will, grant of probate or letters of administration where available. If you are requesting the records because you are investigating a potential legal claim, they may accept other evidence showing why you are entitled to them.
In some circumstances, limited information may be withheld where the law allows this.
Yes, many people obtain their medical records before speaking to a solicitor.
However, if you instruct a specialist medical negligence solicitor, they will usually obtain the records on your behalf, which means they can ensure records are requested from every relevant healthcare provider and identify whether anything appears to be missing.
No. Anyone who is entitled to request medical records can usually do so themselves.
If you later decide to seek legal advice, your solicitor may obtain additional or updated records if they are needed for your case.
Not necessarily.
If you are thinking about making a medical negligence claim, you do not have to obtain your medical records yourself. A specialist solicitor can usually request them for you, helping to ensure that records are obtained from all relevant organisations.
Yes. Healthcare providers keep different types of medical records for different lengths of time. Older records may still be available.
No. Requesting your medical records should not affect the healthcare you receive.
Thinking about making a medical negligence claim?
Obtaining your medical records is often the first step in understanding what happened during your treatment. If you are concerned that you or a loved one may have received negligent medical care, our specialist medical negligence solicitors can help.
We can obtain your records, review them carefully, identify whether any further records should be requested and advise whether there may be grounds for a claim.
To speak to one of our specialist medical negligence solicitors, contact our team today for a free, no obligation discussion.