§ Mr. Chris SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what safeguards exist under the Access to Medical Records Act 1990 to prevent a patient being libelled by a member of the medical profession; and what redress there is for patients able to demonstrate that a libel has been committed in their medical record. [21353]
§ Mr. HoramIf a patient who has been given access to his or her record under the Access to Health Records Act 1990 feels that inaccurate information is contained in that record there is a legal right to have the information corrected. If the patient and the record holder do not agree that a record is inaccurate the Act requires that a note of the alleged inaccuracy be made on the record.
Patients who remain dissatisfied can make a complaint under the NHS complaints procedure or an application to the courts.
These rights are in addition to those rights under the general law, including the law of libel.