HC Deb 20 July 1981 vol 9 c34W
Mrs. Renée Short

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether the police are being allowed access to the records of patients being treated in hospital after the recent riots.

Sir George Young

Not as far as I am aware.

Mrs. Renée Short

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services in what circumstances the police are allowed to see the records of hospital patients.

Sir George Young

Release of information from the records of hospital patients—except when ordered by a court or pursuant to a statutory requirement—would require the agreement of the doctor concerned who would decide, as an ethical matter, whether the consent of the patient should also be sought. It is not possible to list specific circumstances in which disclosures of information may be made to the police.