Access to your health records

Our ‘Care and treatment: your rights and choices’ information explains your rights and choices with regard to your epilepsy care and treatment. ‘Rights’ are in the NHS Constitution and the Handbook to the NHS Constitution, and you are entitled to them by law. Where we say ‘you should’, you may not have a legal right, but these are recommendations made in the NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) guideline on epilepsy.

You have a right to access your own health records

“You have the right of access to your own health records.” Handbook to the NHS Constitution 
 
“The NHS pledges to share with you any correspondence sent between clinicians about your care.” Handbook to the NHS Constitution 

Since 2016, your GP has been able to give you electronic access to your own GP records.  If, for some reason, you are unable to access your records, you can write to your GP to ask to see them.

Your doctors might already copy you in on letters (such as letters after your appointments or referral letters), or you can ask them to if they don’t already do this. Being able to see your health records might help you to understand more about your health. It might also help when making decisions about your healthcare. Although you have a legal right to access your health records, sometimes you may be charged for this.

The NHS Constitution says that all confidential information in healthcare records must be kept safe and secure, and only used appropriately. It also means that health records are shared appropriately with professionals who might be involved in your care.   

For more about GP online services visit nhs.uk/nhs-services/gps/using-online-services
For more about NHS Digital data services and information and how your nhs data is used visit digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/nhs-digital-data-and-information-strategy 
For more about the NHS Constitution visit nhs.uk/NHSConstitution 
For more about the Handbook to the NHS Constitution visit gov.uk/government/publications/supplements-to-the-nhs-constitution-for-england
For more about the NICE guideline visit nice.org.uk/guidance/ng217

Information updated: March 2023