Can I read my own hospital notes?
Intended for healthcare professionals
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Can I read my own hospital notes?

Marc Cornock Qualified nurse, academic lawyer and senior lecturer, Open University

I was told by a nurse that I had to make an appointment with the doctor if I wanted to read my health record

Notes made about you while you are in any health setting are not yours. If it is an NHS hospital, they belong to the health secretary; if it is a private hospital, they belong to the consultant or the hospital itself. If something belongs to someone else, you do not have a right to it. The Data Protection Act 1998 allows you to access your health records, but this usually means you receive a copy rather than obtaining and holding the originals.

Nursing Standard. 31, 7, 28-28. doi: 10.7748/ns.31.7.28.s25

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