Access to Medical Records

Your doctor, and the team of health professionals caring for you, keep records about your health and any treatment and care you receive from the NHS.  The records help to make sure that you receive the best possible care.

Your medical records may be written down (manual records), or held on a computer.  The records may include: 

• Basic details about you, such as address and next of kin
• Contacts we have had with you, such as clinic visits
• Notes and reports about your health, treatment and care
• Details and records about your treatment and care
• Results of investigations, such as X-rays and laboratory tests
• Relevant information from other health professionals
• Relatives or people who care for you and know you well 

Some of this information will be held centrally but where we use it for statistical purposes, we take strict measures to make sure that individual patients cannot be identified.  We may also pass anonymous statistical information to organisations with a legitimate interest, including universities, community safety units and research institutions.
 
If we cannot use anonymous information, we may use personally identifiable information for essential NHS purposes such as research and auditing.  We will only use your information for research purposes with your consent.

To make a request to access your health record please apply in writing to:

The Correspondence Office
Health Records Library
Units 2 and 3
Mitchell Way
Airport Services Road
Portsmouth
PO3 5PR
 

To find out more about your health records from the Patient Information Advisory Group (PIAG) visit Your Health Records