How you can access your records
If you are a patient you have the right to obtain Access to your Health Records under General Data Protection Regulation 2018. This means you have the right to request and receive any information held on you by the hospital.
If you are a patient, relative, next of kin or personal representative of a patient, under the Access to Health Records Act 1990 (which also includes deceased patients), you also have the right to request and receive any information held within the hospital on the individual concerned.
How do I make a request to access the health records?
If you are a patient, the Next of Kin or a patient’s personal representative and wish to apply for Access to Health Records, you will be asked to complete an application form. This will assist us with collating all the relevant information you require.
The application form is supplied by the Subject Access Department. This department is based at Scunthorpe General Hospital. You can collect a form from the department or contact us on the telephone number below and we can send a copy in the post. We can also email you a copy electronically, the form will need to be completed, signed and scanned back to the Subject Access Department:
Contact Details for Further Information
Subject Access Department
Scunthorpe General Hospital
Cliff Gardens
Scunthorpe
DN15 7BH
Direct Dial: 03033 302191
E-mail: nlg-tr.SubjectAccessRequest@nhs.net
Central Trust Hospital Number: 03033 306999
We will aim to deal with requests within a month. In order to respond to requests as promptly as possible, we would encourage applicants to view the health record to ensure the correct information is selected which prevents additional work in providing information which is not necessary.
Will I get charged for accessing a health record?
No – under the new General Data Protection Regulation there is no charge levied for access to your own records. We may charge a reasonable fee for administrative costs if a request (or otherwise not respond substantively to a request) is manifestly unfounded or excessive. Should this situation arise, applicants would be provided with more information about how we have reached these conclusions.
How will I receive a copy of my health records after viewing?
Paper or electronic copies of the relevant information from the health record will be provided to the applicant after they have viewed the records and decided which sections of the record are relevant in paper format. If posted they will be sent out special delivery and the recipient will have to sign for them. For further information on obtaining copies of electronic information please contact the Medico-Legal Department.
