Access to your Healthcare Records

The Data Protection Act 1998 allows you to access your health records.  If you would like to have a copy of your records, please read the notes below, which will help you to understand the procedure involved.

How to Gain Access

Please send your request  to the following address.  You  will then be sent an application and consent form:

Access to Health Records

Central Essex Community Services

C/O NHS Mid Essex

Integrated Governance
St Peters Hospital
32a Spital Road

Maldon

CM9 6EG

Tel: 01621 727285

Email: cecs.accesstorecords@nhs.net

Web: http://www.cecs.org.uk/access_to_your_information/

Alternatively you can download a copy of the application and consent form here:

 Access to Health Records Consent Form

Important Notes:

• Applications must be made in writing.
• A signed consent form must be sent with the application (and appropriate identification)
• It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide enough information to enable NHS Mid Essex to identify his/her records.
• Solicitors and third parties must provide evidence to show they are authorised to act on the patient’s behalf.

Time Period

After we have received your application and consent form, we have 40 days to respond and provide the information you requested.

Limited Access

Current legislation allows for limited access in certain cases, such as:

• If a clinician believes that the patient or another person would be harmed by the access, the request may be refused in part or whole.
• Third person involvement - where a third party has divulged information in confidence to a clinician concerning the patient and the information was given on the basis that it would not be shared with the patient, these parts of the record will not be released.
• The patient has requested that information is not disclosed to any third party.

Charges to provide copies of patient records (requested under the Data Protection Act 1998)

With effect from 1st August 2011, the following charges will apply.  Please note that the maximum we are allowed to charge is £50. We have found it necessary to charge the maximum charge in many cases to better reflect our costs in locating and copying the records required.  These charges, however, still only reflect a contribution towards our costs.

You will be advised of the cost of providing the information you require once you have submitted your request. 

Please make cheques payable to 'Central Essex Community Services'

Charges

If you wish to come in to view the records rather than have a copy sent to you, there will be no charge so long as the records that you are requesting have been added to in the past 40 days. Otherwise there will be a £10 charge.