§ Mr. BayleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many complaints were received by NHS patients between January and March about(a) their own access to their medical records and (b) their medical records being divulged to a third party;
(2) how many NHS patients asked to see their medical records between January and March.
§ Mr. SackvilleThis information is not available centrally. Patients have a legal right to see their own medical records. For records held on computer, access is provided for by the Data Protection Act 1984. For records kept on paper, access is under the Access to Health Records Act 1990, which came into force on 1 November 1991 and applies to records compiled on or after that date. Access under both Acts is subject to safeguards.