Charges for patient access to medical records to be removed

[DJR1]

The BMA published interim guidance for GP’s today prior to the new GDPR starting on 25 May 2018. You cannot be charged for your medical records this includes test results after this date. The £50 fee for Subject Access Requests is also removed. Ask away in May!

[Clutter]

DJR1,

That is very good news! Thank you for posting.

Should make those practices which are dragging their feet about implementing online patient access wake up or they'll find themselves having to photocopy masses of manual records for no fee.

[DJR1 in reply to Clutter]

Yes there is certainly some incentive there! There is also more Right to Rectification which is important for those of us who have incorrect records. This will focus attention on data quality. After fighting for two years we found our electronic records were not transferred by the last 3 GP practices. Our paper notes stored off site were summarised by a clerk and are incorrect and missing critical diagnoses such as risk of brain haemorrhage. It has been a long process to get this far and we are at the correction stage. As patients we need to be aware of these new changes and use them

[DJR1 in reply to DJR1]

Link to document

bma.org.uk/-/media/files/pd...

[Hidden]

Is this for all of the UK?

[DJR1 in reply to Hidden]

I believe so ........

“The GDPR is an EU Regulation which will be directly applicable in the UK on 25 May 2018. It should be read alongside the forthcoming UK Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018). The GDPR and the DPA 2018 will replace the existing Data Protection Act 1998. The UK DPA 2018 has not yet been nalised; however, this interim guidance has been produced to help GP practices prepare for the GDPR. The guidance is subject to change when the DPA 2018 comes into force and may be updated.”

[Hidden in reply to DJR1]

GOOD NEWS FOR ALL

[helvella Administrator]

May I point out that you can ask away right now - and state that your request is to be acted on as of 25th May but you'd be happy to get an earlier response.

Not the slightest idea how a practice would react.

I'd also point out that whilst fully supporting our right of access, let us not ask just because we can. There is a cost to providing answers.

[DJR1 in reply to helvella]

I have just done this they must have thought it would be undignified to respond. I was advised to mention the right to rectification as well as we are seeking correction of the record.