HC Deb 27 July 1989 vol 157 cc911-2W
Mr. Galbraith

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will review advice given to general practitioners concerning the time for which patients' medical records should be kept and the information to be retained; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Mellor

Under present arrangements, doctors are required to keep adequate records of the treatment of their patients for their patients' lifetimes. After this, the records pass to the local family practitioner committee (FPC) where they are retained for a minimum of three further years. We are currently reviewing these arrangements. Any changes need to be considered carefully, not least because of the resource implications for FPCs of storing records for longer periods.