§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures he has taken to ensure that patients are not obstructed from access to their medical records by general practitioners. [51043]
§ Mr. Milburn[holding answer 17 July 1998]All general practitioners are bound by the provisions of the Access to Health Records Act 1990 and the Department has issued clear guidance on the operation of the Act. When instances of apparent flagrant violation of the Act are brought to our attention (for example excessive charging), we have written to the record-holder concerned reminding them of their responsibilities under the Act. Further, since 1 April 1996, patients have been able to pursue complaints about any aspect of how an application under the Act has been handled under the National Health Service Complaints Procedure. This provides an opportunity for the complaint to be heard by an independent review panel if local complaints officers are unable to resolve the matter satisfactorily.