Access to medical notes

[thelady2003uk]

For a number of reasons I want to access all of my medical notes since birth. I know that I can contact the NHS Foundation to do this but before I do I want to ask you guys out there whether I have to give a reason for my request or can I just say because it's my right? Thanks for your advice!

[humanbean]

You aren't required to give a reason, but they will almost certainly ask. When I ordered copies of mine I just said I was curious or something equally inane. They pushed a bit, I shrugged a few times, and that was it.

Edit : Don't be surprised if huge amounts of information is missing. The more times you've changed surgery the more likely it is that big chunks will have disappeared. I'm in my 50s. None of my records exist prior to the age of about 10 or 11. Little survives for the years from then until I was in my late 30s. I changed surgery at that time to the one I still use, and a fair amount of information survives for this period. But it still amazes me how much is apparently never recorded.

[thelady2003uk]

Hi Humanbean, Thanks a lot for this info very interesting, bit of a pain though because my Mom has told me there was a problem a few hours after my birth and it was this I wanted to find out about. I too am in my 50's but I have moved around all my life so from what you have said I'm not holding out a lot of hope for gleaning much info, I will try though. Thanks a lot for your help XX

[Clutter]

My childhood records don't appear to have transferred to my current GP practice but there are records from my late teens onwards. Can't read most of the handwritten ones though

[thelady2003uk]

Hi Clutter, Thanks for your reply, I hope that's not the case with me, I am particularly interested in something that happened when I was born. I am guessing I've got no hope of finding that out after what you very helpful people on here have said. Still no harm in trying!