Medical Records

[coccinelle]

Does anybody know if there's a way of getting information from someone's medical records once that person's died? This person would be a close relation and concerning them.

[bednobs]

you just need to apply and provide proof that you are either:
the personal representative of the person (ie executor) who has died or that you have a claim resulting from the person’s death

[coccinelle]

thank you bednobs; but where do I apply? and this person died in 2006, would that be a problem?

[bednobs]

what do you want? Gp records? Hosptial records? Care home records?

[coccinelle]

GP records I would think. it's to enquire about the birth of one of her children born at a maternity hospital.

[coccinelle]

reading that back the GP might not have had any particulars so could be hospital records I'd need and these dating back to early 60s....

[bednobs]

i personally think you may have trouble getting hospital maternityrecords back to the 60's - they only have to keep them for 25 years after the birth of the last child (although in practice unless they have a rigourous deletion system, you may be lucky)
just apply to the hospital.
Apply to the GP as well - the hospital may have written to the GP to say what happened (if it was something unusual) and GP notes aren't generally destryed till 10 years after the patients death

[Wak]

If you are not sure where the child was born, you could try going via the Family History route and obtaining a Birth Certificate as they used to put "Where and When Born" on the birth certificate in the 60's.
This info could point you to the correct hospital or town (if not known?).
Just a thought!

[coccinelle]

Thank you. Problem is this hospital no longer exists as a hospital so I think this is going to be a dead end. Can check with her GP practice. Thank you for your time.