Hi I’m in middle trying to access medical records
It’s taken a few months I’ve finally got the records through well in an email
So much info to print off
Anyway I’ve now had fill out another form they said to access socialwork mental health records
I feel so confused what address is right address as it must go to right dept
There are a few I just need do it the hard way copy my paperwork send to 3 departments
I will attach letter but not sure
Do I keep letter short & simple?
Or do I go into detail about why I want access the socialwork records?
If I mess it up that’s it
This is so important I get it right to get the records
Sometimes you just feel so alone
Nobody understands what your going through x
@S47 for hospital records most hospitals have a patient record access clerk as part of the legal department. Not sure what happens with social work records. When requesting records I don’t think you need to go into too much detail about why you want them, but you will need to specify exactly what records you want sight of. Maybe the legal team at your local hospital could point you in the right direction. Passing on medical records is not a quick process as the legal team often have to obtain authority from various clinicians in various departments around the hospital to release the information, which is probably why it has taken them a few months to release the information you now have. Best wishes.
Hi Wong
Yes I know it takes a long time to go through various departments etc
Would be as bad if the records I’m trying to asses was here but there not
Makes it more difficult and frustrating
Just not sure how much info to put in the attachtched letter
And do I tell them why I want the records
I’m concerned if I don’t tell them why they may not let me assess them
But then again everything is in the form
I requested my husbands medical records as i wanted to understand why he didnt get better and why they couldnt save him. I had to send letter of adminastration. It took 3 months to get them back. Took 2 days before i could summon up the courage to open them. Majority of the photo copies of his records are unreadable, doctors scribble. Just squiggly lines with no letter form. I dont know if i can request a printed version? Not a lot of help at all.
Hi, I work as a medical secretary in a cancer centre, you shouldn’t have to contact each department for your husbands medical records, particularly if everything is within the same hospital.
There should be a department in the hospital called the “Subject access team or just Subject access” where they can collate any records held for your husband within that specific hospital (its usually within the medical records department). Each hospital should now have this or something similar to this following changes to the data protection laws. Its quite often that they can email you a form to complete to request them. They should reply to you within a month.
It might be worth drafting a letter and just changing the little bits that you need to, to enable you to do this easier. Please shout if you need any help and I will try and help if you need me to.
Hi sam, thankyou for info. I recieved my husbands medical records. The doctors writing is just a sqiggle. Cant read it at all. Do you know if i can request it in printed form rather than photocopied. I need to read them to understand what went wrong and if they cared for him properly. He died of covid. Thankyou
Hi Bubba, the medical records that you have received through will be the exact copies of what they have on file, where the doctor has written in the medical records, so I wouldn’t think you would be able to have printed copies. Unless they have inputted information into the computer system regarding your husband - (so it may be worth asking for a copy of that if they have it).
Sorry I couldn’t be of more help. Our medical records are all electronic now and on the system, most hospitals are going paperless or paperlite, so ours would all have to be printed off.
I sent a subject access request to the hospital that my husband was treated in. I received a copy of everything, notes, scans, X-rays etc but I did ask for it in the SAR. Good luck.
I also requested my husband’s medical records as my sons and I feel he did not receive the due care he needed. Nobody was allowed to visit him in hospital during the lockdown. He was confused and disoriented most of the time so we couldn’t get any sense out of him. A lot of things don’t add up and we feel he was neglected. I subsequently requested all records of his hospital admission. It took around 6 to 8 weeks to receive them. I’ve since also written to PALS to open an inquiry. They are being very evasive. We were supposed to have a face to face meeting with the team who were allegedly looking after him, but that was repeatedly put off and they seem to be procrastinating in giving us the answers we need to understand what happened. I don’t know why it’s taking them so long to answer my questions. They were certainly very quick to decide they were not going to give any further intervention on the day he died. It feels like they just gave up on him. I’m in constant torment and can’t find any peace.
Hi sakina, i feel that way too. Im sure my husband would still be here if they had made the right choices. It was easier for them to poison him with morphine. I dont think i will ever get the truth as they stick together. I hope you get the answers that you are looking for and closure. X
Hi Bubba. I also think Just like you said that they close ranks. It’s been almost 6 months now and some vague responses from their end which seem to be buying time, Maybe they hope we will run out of steam in our our pursuit for answers. Or maybe they hope our memories will dim, but how can we ever forget? This is life changing for us. No! I’m going to persevere. They will probably use the smoke screen of Covid because everything is down to Covid, Covid, Covid. How I hate that word! But I have to try. He was my world, I want answers and I’m going to die trying.
I have pasted below a quote for your info regarding subject access requests:-
“You must comply with a SAR without undue delay and at the latest within one month of receipt of the request”
This quote is from the ICO website (Information Commissioners Office) and is the advice they give to organisations receiving SARS., i.e. Hospitals. If you just write or telephone a hospital requesting information from hospitals/PALS it has no effect in my experience You need to submit a SAR as this has legal standing and they have to respond within specified times under European Law.
Let me know if you need help with the SAR I am happy to assist. Families just get ignored by the powerful NHS machine, they think that relatives will give up. My husband was told that he was “not a viable patient for cancer treatment and that he would be dead by Monday” that is why I will not give up. Good luck.
Unfortunately my husband had covid but was left with a blood clot in his lung. I unferstand that it could of been removed but not according to them. I will feel guilty everyday for taking him to hospital. He didmt want to go and took him on my doctors orders. Should never have lisrened to them. Put D. N. R. On his bed after being in there2 days. Told him if he survived he would have no quality of life. I wish with all my heart that i had brought him home. Will regret this for the rest of my life. Nothing left for me in this life xx
hi
so sorry for your loss, I know what you are going through, I am fighting the insurance company, they keep asking for more paperwork, medical note, etc, just found out the company they send us with went into liquidation in 2020, my heads everywhere, can do with the hassle.
Hi im so sorry for your loss
Its hard enough dealing with greif on top of dealing with all the paperwork its a nightmare
Hope you get everything sorted out
Take care xx
Finally got most of my dads medicsl records through its been a nightmare
You feel as through its a constant battle
And it shouldnt be
Still not got other records through
And the ones i have most are fine that are printed but some gp notes are difficult to read there writing
Do anyone else find that?