Access to Health Records 

Information and Application Form

Background

Access requests for health records can be made by patients wishing to view their own records, or by an individual acting on the authority of the patient (for example, by written authorisation exercising parental rights or court appointment).

The patient’s personal representative or someone with a claim arising from the death of the patient can make applications for access to a deceased person’s health records. 

Applications for requests to health records should be made to the organisation holding the relevant records (named in this leaflet as the Record Holder). For example, this could be your hospital, general practitioner (GP) or private health care provider.

The application form for access to health records held by Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust is at the end of this leaflet.

This includes:

Royal Albert Edward Infirmary 

Leigh Infirmary

Thomas Linacre Centre 

Wrightington Hospital

Boston House 

Please return either by post to:

Access to Health Records Department Knowsley House

RAEI

Wigan Lane Wigan

WN1 2NN

Tel: 01942 822541

Or by E-mail to: AccessToHealthRecords.RAEI@wwl.nhs.uk  

Rights

The Data Protection Act 2018 governs the request for the public to have access to their health records. This Act gives certain rights of access, but the Record Holder is entitled to withhold information considered to be detrimental to the physical or mental health of the patient or other person, or if it contains information given by a third party. The Record Holder does not have to disclose the fact that the information has been withheld.

You can ask for corrections to the records, and you are entitled to a copy of the correction, or, if the record is not corrected, you are entitled to a copy of the Record Holder’s note of the request and any discussion regarding this.

The Trust must respond to your application within one calendar month, however if a request is deemed to be complex this is extended by a further two calendar months. Complex requests are those which involve the retrieval, interrogation, and electronic capture of any paper records.

Receiving or Accessing the Records

Records will be sent out to you in a password encrypted document on a CD.  The password to open this document will be emailed to you.  If you would prefer to view the records, please indicate this by ticking the box on the application form below. 

Complaints

If you would like to make a complaint about an Access to Health Record request, please contact the Information Governance Department at the contact details below:

Information Governance Department

Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Suite 9 Buckingham Row

Brick Kiln Lane

Wigan

WN1 1XX

E-mail: DPARequests@wwl.nhs.uk 

If you are not happy with the outcome of this, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Information can be obtained from the Information Commissioner’s website on www.ico.gov.uk or by contacting: 

Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire, SK9 5AF

Telephone 01625 545700

Confidentiality

Patients have a right to have their personal information kept confidential and Record Holders are obliged to be satisfied that an applicant who applies for access is the person they say they are or is otherwise entitled to access the records requested. The minimum security check would be confirmation of identity, but we are entitled to request additional information in certain circumstances, but this would be explained to you at the time of application

Fees

People applying for copies of or access to medical records may be charged a fee if the request is deemed to be vexatious or repetitive.